Summary:
Zip code 25524 in Harts, West Virginia, is served by two public elementary schools—Harts Pk-8 and Hugh Dingess Elementary School—which together educate 435 students from Pre-K through 8th grade across two different county districts.
For parents comparing the two schools, Harts Pk-8 is the larger option with 347 students and a 3-star state rating, ranking 166th out of 355 schools. It excels in early elementary grades—3rd grade ELA proficiency hits 62.9% and 4th grade math reaches 52.9%, both well above state averages. However, the school shows a sharp decline in middle school, with 7th grade ELA dropping to just 14.7% and 7th grade math falling to 23.5%. In contrast, Hugh Dingess Elementary School is a much smaller school (88 students) with a 2-star rating, ranking 211th. Despite the lower overall rank, it posts stronger all-grade math proficiency at 53.1%—nearly double its district average of 27%—and has improved dramatically, jumping 100 positions in state ranking over two years. It also offers a more intimate learning environment with an 8.8:1 student-teacher ratio and higher per-student spending ($15,512 vs. $13,124).
Both schools outperform their respective districts—Lincoln County Schools and Logan County Schools—which rank in the bottom 20% statewide. This makes each school a relative bright spot in a challenging rural Appalachian context. The most pressing concern for parents is the middle school ELA decline at Harts Pk-8, which represents a significant instructional gap. Meanwhile, Hugh Dingess demonstrates that focused interventions can yield measurable gains, particularly in math. Overall, families in this zip code have two schools with distinct strengths: Harts Pk-8 for strong early elementary foundations, and Hugh Dingess for consistent math achievement and recent upward momentum.
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