Summary:
Zip code 26155 in New Martinsville, West Virginia, is served by two public schools within the Wetzel County Schools district: New Martinsville School, a PK-8 elementary school with 837 students, and Magnolia High School, a 9-12 high school with 287 students.
New Martinsville School is the clear standout, ranking in the 69th percentile statewide and showing strong improvement over the past two years. Its 3rd grade math proficiency is exceptional at 83.1%, far exceeding the state average of 54.4%, and its overall math and science scores beat both district and state averages. However, the school shows a dramatic decline in upper grades—math proficiency falls from 83.1% in 3rd grade to just 26.7% in 8th grade, a 56-point drop that is much steeper than the statewide trend. By 7th and 8th grade, the school falls below state averages in both math and English Language Arts, suggesting the PK-8 model may not serve older students as effectively. Magnolia High School performs solidly but less impressively, ranking in the 54th percentile with a strong 94.2% graduation rate and above-average 11th grade math scores (22.2% vs. 20.3% statewide). Its main weakness is ELA, where 48.6% proficiency trails the state's 55.1%.
Both schools maintain favorable student-teacher ratios (11.6:1 at the elementary and 9.7:1 at the high school) and spend a similar amount per student (around $16,200-$16,400). The most pressing concern is the steep academic drop-off in middle school years, particularly in math, which represents a critical intervention point. Additionally, the high school's ELA gap suggests literacy development needs renewed focus at the secondary level. With strong early elementary performance and adequate resources, the potential for improvement exists, but targeted strategies are needed to sustain academic growth through the upper grades and into high school.
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