Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 25301

Zip code 25301 in Charleston, WV, is served by a single elementary school, Piedmont Year-Round Education, which enrolls 279 students across grades PK through 5 and operates on a unique year-round calendar within the Kanawha County Schools district.

For parents considering this school, the most important takeaway is that Piedmont Year-Round Education has consistently earned a 1-star rating (out of 5) for three straight years, placing it in the bottom 17th percentile of West Virginia elementary schools—a stark contrast to its district's respectable 3-star rating. Academically, the school's overall math proficiency (38.9%) is nearly on par with the state average (39.4%), but English Language Arts is a significant weakness, with only 37.2% of students proficient versus 47.6% statewide. The most alarming metric is 5th-grade science, where just 12.2% of students are proficient, a dramatic 19.2-point collapse from the prior year and 22.4 points below the state average. A clear pattern emerges across grade levels: 3rd graders perform at or above state averages in both math and ELA, but proficiency steadily declines by 5th grade, with math dropping 17.2 points below the state and ELA falling 19.3 points behind. This suggests learning gaps accumulate as students progress, despite the school's favorable 10.7:1 student-teacher ratio, which implies small class sizes that are not translating into strong outcomes.

Notably, the year-round calendar—designed to combat summer learning loss—does not appear to be overcoming these challenges. The school's state ranking has also slipped in percentile terms over three years, from the 12th to the 17th percentile, even as its numerical rank improved slightly. While the district overall earns a 3-star rating, Piedmont Year-Round Education clearly faces unique difficulties, particularly in ELA and upper-grade science. Parents should be aware that data on free/reduced lunch eligibility is unavailable, and spending figures are outdated (2018-2019), limiting a full socioeconomic picture. Given the persistent low ratings and widening achievement gaps, families may want to investigate grade-level instruction quality and support services before enrolling.