Summary:
There are four elementary schools serving the 24739 zip code in Princeton, West Virginia, collectively educating roughly 1,469 students across grades PK-8 within the Mercer County Schools district, which ranks in the bottom half of the state.
For parents, the standout choice in this area is Glenwood School (K-8), which ranks 64th out of 355 elementary schools statewide (82nd percentile, 4 stars) and has climbed 53 spots since 2023-2024. It outperforms district averages by 15-20 percentage points in every subject, with math proficiency at 55.4% and ELA at 55.3% compared to district rates of 35.4% and 42.5%, respectively. Melrose Elementary School is a strong alternative, achieving 58.6% math and 52.6% ELA proficiency despite having the least favorable student-teacher ratio (15.9:1) and lowest per-student spending ($9,531) in the area. Both schools show exceptional 5th-grade ELA performance (68-70%), well above the state average of 51%. In contrast, Oakvale School has suffered a dramatic decline, dropping from 159th to 335th in state rankings, with only 32.1% proficiency in both math and ELA and a troubling 8% science proficiency rate—just one-quarter of the district average. Princeton Primary School (K-2) has no test data available since state assessments begin in 3rd grade.
Notably, Oakvale spends the most per student ($13,545) yet achieves the lowest outcomes, while Melrose spends the least and rivals Glenwood's performance—suggesting resource allocation alone doesn't drive success. Glenwood also shows a U-shaped math pattern, with 3rd graders at 68.8% proficiency dipping to 36.1% in 7th grade before rebounding to 64.6% in 8th grade, highlighting middle school transition challenges. Despite the district's bottom-half ranking, Glenwood and Melrose prove that individual schools can exceed state averages, making them the clear top choices for families in this zip code.
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