North Fork Elementary School

North Fork Elementary School is a small, rural school in Circleville, WV, serving 103 students from Pre-K through 6th grade within the Pendleton County Schools district. With a remarkably low student-to-teacher ratio of 9.1:1, this school offers a highly personalized learning environment that has recently produced some impressive results.

The most exciting news for parents is the school's dramatic turnaround. In the 2025-2026 school year, North Fork jumped from the 29th percentile to the 75th percentile statewide, earning a 4-star rating and ranking 90th out of 355 West Virginia elementary schools. This improvement is especially notable in early elementary math, where 78.6% of 3rd graders scored proficient—a rate nearly identical to the exceptional Brandywine Elementary School (79%), which ranks 12th in the state. North Fork also outperformed both district and state averages in overall math and English Language Arts, and the school has shown outstanding effectiveness with female students, ranking in the 88th percentile for that subgroup.

However, there are some challenges parents should know about. The school struggles significantly in 6th grade, where only 16.7% of students scored proficient in math—far below the district average of 42.9% and a stark contrast to its strong 3rd-grade performance. Science scores are also concerning, with just 8.3% of 5th graders proficient for two consecutive years. Additionally, the school's support for low-income students ranked last in the state, though this may reflect the small student population. While North Fork's recent success is encouraging, the volatility in rankings (swinging from 1-star to 4-star in a single year) suggests that its achievements may depend on specific student cohorts rather than fully systemic improvements. For parents, this is a school with clear strengths in early grades that still needs to prove it can sustain that success through middle school transition.