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Ritchie Elementary School

Q: Is Ritchie Elementary School a good school?

Ritchie Elementary School ranks 216 th of 355 West Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

216^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 355 West Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 39% of West Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Ritchie Elementary School in Wheeling, WV, is a mid-sized public school serving 289 students in grades PK-5 and is part of the highly-rated Ohio County Schools district.

For nearly a decade, Ritchie was a consistently high-performing school, regularly ranking in the top 10-15% of schools statewide and earning 4 or 5 stars. However, the most recent data for the 2025-2026 school year shows a dramatic and unexpected decline. The school's state ranking fell from 24th (93rd percentile) to 216th (39th percentile)—a drop of nearly 200 places in a single year. This is particularly striking when compared to nearby schools in the same district, such as Steenrod Elementary (95th percentile), Middle Creek Elementary (90th percentile), and Woodsdale Elementary (89th percentile), which all remained in the top 11% of the state. This suggests the issue is specific to Ritchie, not a district-wide problem.

The most pressing concerns are in English Language Arts (ELA) and Science. Ritchie's ELA proficiency (43.5%) now falls below both the state average (47.6%) and the district average (57.8%)—a first for this school in recent data. Science scores for 5th graders plummeted from 46% proficiency in 2024-2025 to just 17.1% in 2025-2026, the lowest among all nearby schools. Math proficiency (52.7%) remains above the state average but below the district average. There is also notable grade-level variability: 4th-grade math is strong (60.9%), while 3rd-grade math (43.2%) lags far behind the district average (63%). Additionally, the school's previously top-ranked support for Special Education students (ranked #1 and #2 in the state in prior years) fell to the 22nd percentile. While 5th-grade ELA (53.7%) remains above the state average, the overall pattern points to a systemic issue that warrants immediate investigation by district leadership to identify root causes and implement targeted interventions.

289

Students ?

11.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,153

Per pupil spending ?

71.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3700 Wood St
Wheeling, WV 26003-4304

(304) 243-0372

District: Ohio County Schools

Students who attend Ritchie Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Wheeling Middle School
High:	Wheeling Park High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.6%

Two or more races:

14.9%

African American:

13.1%

See top rated West Virginia elementary schools

Compare Ritchie Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 70th percentile in 2016 → 39th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 31 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Science scores 17 pts below the West Virginia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg53%

West Virginia avg44%

216^th of 355

West Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 39%▼ down 30 pts since 2016

From top 30% (2016) to bottom 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of West Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Ohio County Schools

5^th of 55Ohio County Schools among West Virginia districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	41.7	216 of 355	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	87.4	24 of 355	93.2%	★★★★★
2024	90.5	17 of 368	95.4%	★★★★★
2023	85.7	32 of 368	91.3%	★★★★★
2022	83.5	36 of 375	90.4%	★★★★★
2021	83.9	40 of 380	89.5%	★★★★☆
2019	80.3	51 of 383	86.7%	★★★★☆
2018	87.6	20 of 392	94.9%	★★★★★
2017	66.9	103 of 399	74.2%	★★★★☆
2016	63.2	122 of 402	69.7%	★★★★☆
2015	67.7	91 of 408	77.7%	★★★★☆
2014	53.4	170 of 422	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	40.6	276 of 428	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	33.0	328 of 426	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	29.5	344 of 426	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	32.5	333 of 427	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	18.0	395 of 420	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2017	62.3	40 of 187	78.6%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2017	6.6	68 of 75	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2022	100.0	1 of 154	99.4%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2017	32.0	74 of 98	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	32.1	232 of 300	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	69.8	63 of 302	79.1%	★★★★☆
2024	75.7	46 of 316	85.4%	★★★★☆
2023	88.6	17 of 317	94.6%	★★★★★
2022	81.7	33 of 325	89.8%	★★★★★
2021	88.5	19 of 322	94.1%	★★★★★
2019	76.8	55 of 339	83.8%	★★★★☆
2018	86.4	18 of 366	95.1%	★★★★★
2017	65.8	99 of 381	74.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	60.3	98 of 315	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	90.1	10 of 328	97.0%	★★★★★
2024	95.0	8 of 336	97.6%	★★★★★
2023	93.2	9 of 333	97.3%	★★★★★
2022	88.5	13 of 347	96.3%	★★★★★
2021	91.4	4 of 335	98.8%	★★★★★
2018	94.1	2 of 368	99.5%	★★★★★
2017	70.5	79 of 382	79.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	53.7	140 of 303	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	93.3	8 of 305	97.4%	★★★★★
2024	93.7	8 of 325	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	79.9	37 of 322	88.5%	★★★★☆
2022	79.2	38 of 330	88.5%	★★★★☆
2021	77.2	48 of 333	85.6%	★★★★☆
2019	80.9	46 of 338	86.4%	★★★★☆
2018	84.2	26 of 364	92.9%	★★★★★
2017	65.7	100 of 382	73.8%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2017	55.7	76 of 218	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	34.2	128 of 165	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	99.7	2 of 171	98.8%	★★★★★
2024	99.9	1 of 183	99.5%	★★★★★
2023	99.7	1 of 180	99.4%	★★★★★
2019	73.1	33 of 185	82.2%	★★★★☆
2018	95.5	2 of 258	99.2%	★★★★★
2017	89.9	3 of 377	99.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	West Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	43.3	202 of 353	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	91.3	12 of 353	96.6%	★★★★★
2024	92.1	16 of 367	95.6%	★★★★★
2023	81.9	43 of 366	88.3%	★★★★☆
2022	84.7	35 of 373	90.6%	★★★★★
2021	86.7	31 of 376	91.8%	★★★★★
2019	83.3	42 of 373	88.7%	★★★★☆
2018	91.5	13 of 374	96.5%	★★★★★
2017	69.2	88 of 382	77.0%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Disabled (2022)99th percentile+9 vs school

African American (2017)79th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)69th percentile+30 vs school

Multi-racial (2017)65th percentile-9 vs school

Male (2026)54th percentile+15 vs school

White (2026)43rd percentile+4 vs school

English Language Learner (2017)24th percentile-50 vs school

Female (2026)23rd percentile-16 vs school

Special Education (2026)22nd percentile-17 vs school

Asian (2017)9th percentile-65 vs school

By subject vs West Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics53%+13 vs state

English Language Arts44%-4 vs state

Science17%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ritchie Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				WV Assessment Mathematics (2026)				WV Assessment English Language Arts (2026)				WV Assessment Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2021)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WV Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics All Grades	WV Assessment English Language Arts 3rd Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 4th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 5th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts All Grades	WV Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ritchie Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3700 Wood St	Wheeling	26003	Ohio County	Ohio County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 243-0372	289	26	11.1	71.9%	201 (69.6%)	38 (13.1%)	5 (1.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (14.9%)	41.7	216^th of 355 public elementary schools	39.2%		87.4	24^th of 355 public elementary schools	93.2%	192	43.2	60.9	53.7	52.7	36.4	41.3	53.7	43.5	17.1	$15,153	$2,719	$12,434
Bethlehem Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	22 Chapel Rd	Wheeling	26003	Ohio County	Ohio County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 243-0350	125	8	15.9	26.5%	115 (92.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (6.4%)	65.6	94^th of 355 public elementary schools	73.5%		86.1	29^th of 355 public elementary schools	91.8%	65	54.6	70.8	55.0	60.6	40.9	58.3	60.0	53.0	40.0	$11,118	$727	$10,391
Madison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	91 Zane St	Wheeling	26003	Ohio County	Ohio County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 243-0366	231	22	10.5	78.1%	148 (64.1%)	55 (23.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (11.7%)	74.1	65^th of 355 public elementary schools	81.7%		76.9	56^th of 355 public elementary schools	84.2%	9	64.3	65.7	50.0	60.2	53.6	68.6	66.7	63.4	36.7	$17,985	$2,612	$15,373
Steenrod Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Clarks Ln	Wheeling	26003	Ohio County	Ohio County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 243-0356	256	19	13.2	24.4%	230 (89.8%)	8 (3.1%)	4 (1.6%)	5 (2.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.1%)	92.3	16^th of 355 public elementary schools	95.5%		89.8	17^th of 355 public elementary schools	95.2%	1	77.8	85.7	59.6	72.9	77.8	74.3	74.5	75.4	51.1	$12,301	$668	$11,633
Woodsdale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1 Bethany Pike	Wheeling	26003	Ohio County	Ohio County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 243-0378	405	32	12.6	40.0%	351 (86.7%)	13 (3.2%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (7.9%)	83.7	38^th of 355 public elementary schools	89.3%		83.2	36^th of 355 public elementary schools	89.9%	2	75.4	68.3	49.2	64.7	63.1	63.3	71.2	65.8	52.5	$12,388	$1,323	$11,065
Center McMechen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	800 Marshall St	McMechen	26040	Marshall County	Marshall County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 232-6530	160	18	8.9	63.7%	134 (83.8%)	2 (1.3%)	3 (1.9%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (11.9%)	45.1	197^th of 355 public elementary schools	44.5%		28.7	287^th of 355 public elementary schools	19.2%	90	57.9	63.0	13.6	45.6	52.6	63.0	40.9	52.9	4.6	$19,534	$2,916	$16,617
Elm Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	85 Mil Acres Dr	Wheeling	26003	Ohio County	Ohio County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 243-0363	299	29	10.4	61.8%	269 (90.0%)	13 (4.3%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.7%)	78.4	53^rd of 355 public elementary schools	85.1%		58.9	128^th of 355 public elementary schools	63.9%	75	74.4	43.1	70.0	60.8	59.0	56.9	72.5	62.3	52.5	$15,706	$2,591	$13,115
Hilltop Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2 Ram Dr	Wheeling	26003	Ohio County	Marshall County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 232-8640	401	27	14.7	25.7%	386 (96.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.2%)	47.9	182^nd of 355 public elementary schools	48.7%		72	70^th of 355 public elementary schools	80.3%	112	48.3	50.0	49.2	49.2	48.3	58.6	44.3	50.3	26.2	$11,891	$1,090	$10,801
Warwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1200 Richland Ave	Wheeling	26003	Ohio County	Ohio County Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(304) 243-0375	304	22	13.9		274 (90.1%)	10 (3.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.9%)	47.9	183^rd of 355 public elementary schools	48.5%					(n/a)	37.2	40.8	48.9	42.3	35.7	53.1	64.4	51.5	40.0	$11,265	$1,296	$9,969
Middle Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	579 Middle Creek Rd	Triadelphia	26059	Ohio County	Ohio County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 243-0369	225	20	11.2	43.1%	203 (90.2%)	3 (1.3%)	7 (3.1%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.0%)	85.7	35^th of 355 public elementary schools	90.1%		79.3	52^nd of 355 public elementary schools	85.4%	17	77.8	77.1	79.0	78.0	63.0	71.4	73.7	70.0	31.6	$14,015	$2,753	$11,262

Frequently Asked Questions about Ritchie Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Ritchie Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Ritchie Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wheeling Middle School
High : Wheeling Park High School

How many students attend Ritchie Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 289 students attended Ritchie Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Ritchie Elementary School?

Students at Ritchie Elementary School are 70% White, 15% Two or more races, 13% African American, 2% Hispanic.

What district is Ritchie Elementary School in?

Ohio County Schools

Is Ritchie Elementary School a good school?

Ritchie Elementary School ranks 216^th of 355 West Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Ritchie Elementary School!

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Latest West Virginia data All new data »

2019–20 through 2024–25 school spending dataAug 24, 2026

2025–26 WV Assessment scoresAug 12, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 9, 2026

2024–25 WV Assessment scoresAug 13, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the West Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.