Summary:
Zip code 25823 is home to just one elementary school, Coal City Elementary, which serves grades PK through 5 with 387 students in the Coal City area of West Virginia, operating within the Raleigh County Schools district.
For parents considering this area, the most important takeaway is that Coal City Elementary shows a very uneven academic profile. The school has earned just 1-star ratings from the state for the past two years, and its state ranking has slipped from 256th (2023-24) to 291st (2025-26) out of roughly 355 schools. Overall proficiency is below both district and state averages: 31.5% in math and 38.9% in English Language Arts, compared to district rates of 42.7% and 52.9%. However, there is a notable bright spot in 3rd grade, where students actually outperform state averages in both subjects (56.4% in math and 61.5% in ELA). This success does not carry forward—by 4th grade, proficiency drops by roughly half in both subjects, and 5th grade science proficiency is just 14.6%, less than half the state average of 34.6%. This dramatic decline between 3rd and 4th grade suggests a possible curriculum alignment or instructional transition issue rather than a lack of student capability.
Interestingly, the school has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.9:1 and per-student spending of $12,353, yet outcomes remain low, indicating that resources alone are not driving performance. The contrast with the district is stark: Raleigh County Schools holds a 4-star rating and ranks in the top 26% of WV districts, making Coal City Elementary a clear underperformer relative to its peers. The consistent low science scores and declining trajectory over three years point to systemic challenges that likely require targeted intervention, particularly in upper elementary grades, even though the 3rd grade results prove students are capable of meeting state standards.
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