Best Public Schools in Zip Code 25971

Summary:

The 25971 zip code area is home to a single standout public elementary school, Sun Valley Elementary School, which serves grades K-5 and is part of the Mercer County Schools district. With consistent academic excellence, a low student-teacher ratio, and an improving statewide ranking, Sun Valley Elementary is a strong educational option for families in the area.

Sun Valley Elementary School has consistently outperformed the Mercer County Schools district and the state of West Virginia in both mathematics and English language arts assessments for grades 3-5. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school's 5th-grade proficiency rates were 42.9% in mathematics and 78.6% in English language arts, compared to the district's 37.7% and 49.1%, respectively, and the state's 42% and 49.3%. The school's 5th-grade science proficiency rate of 50% in 2024-2025 was also significantly higher than the district's 29.9% and the state's 33.3%.

The data also shows that Sun Valley Elementary School has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 13.3 in the 2023-2024 school year, suggesting the school is effectively allocating its resources to provide more individualized attention and support for students. Additionally, the school's statewide ranking has improved from 238th out of 368 West Virginia elementary schools in 2022-2023 to 51st out of 355 in 2024-2025, indicating that Sun Valley Elementary is becoming a more competitive option for families in the area.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				WV Assessment Mathematics (2025)			WV Assessment English Language Arts (2025)			WV Assessment Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WV Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 3rd Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 4th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 5th Grade	WV Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sun Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5281 Hinton Road	Lerona	25971	Mercer County	Mercer County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 384-7441	117	8	14.6		113 (96.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.6%)	79.3	51^st of 355 public elementary schools	85.6%		52.2	163^rd of 368 public elementary schools	55.7%	112	54.6	65.0	42.9	72.7	70.0	78.6	50.0	$11,174	$2,020	$9,154

Cities Near Zip Code 25971

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Lerona	0.96 mi	1	21^st
Athens	5.41 mi	1	7^th
Princeton	6.06 mi	15	92^nd
Spanishburg	8.01 mi	1	242^nd
Jumping Branch	10.82 mi	1	125^th

See the top WV West Virginia cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the West Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.