Schools in Zip Code 25530

Zip code 25530 in Kenova, West Virginia, is served by three schools within the Wayne County Schools district, including two elementary schools and one middle school, with no high school located in the immediate area.

For parents, the standout performer in this area is Ceredo-Kenova Elementary, the largest school with 632 students. It is the only school in the zip code to have recently earned a 4-star rating, and it leads the pack in 5th-grade Science proficiency at 50.6%, far exceeding the state average of 34.6%. Its math scores are also strong at 54.3% proficiency. Buffalo Elementary School is a close competitor, posting the highest math proficiency in the area at 57.3% and the best overall state ranking (63rd percentile). However, it lags significantly in 5th-grade Science at just 29.7%. Buffalo Middle School presents a mixed picture; while it shows a dramatic 21-point improvement in 8th-grade Science (now at 48.2%), it struggles with mathematics, particularly in 6th grade where proficiency is a concerning 14.9%.

The most critical issue is the transition to middle school. While both elementary schools far exceed state averages in math, Buffalo Middle School falls well below both district and state averages. This suggests a challenging academic shift for students entering 6th grade. Encouragingly, by 8th grade, math proficiency recovers to 49.4%, indicating that students do make progress. Interestingly, the middle school has the lowest student-teacher ratio (13.9) and the highest per-student spending ($11,628), yet still underperforms in math, suggesting that factors beyond class size and funding are at play. With no high school in the zip code, students face another transition after 8th grade, making the middle school years a critical period for building a strong academic foundation.