Summary:
Zip code 26155, encompassing New Martinsville, WV, is served by a single public high school, Magnolia High School, which educates students in grades 9 through 12 within the Wetzel County Schools district.
For parents considering this area, Magnolia High School offers a notably personalized learning environment with a student-teacher ratio of just 9.7:1 and a per-student investment of $16,386. The school posts a strong graduation rate of 94.2%, which exceeds the state average of 92.8%. Academically, Magnolia is a standout within its own district, outperforming Wetzel County in every tested subject. Its 11th-grade math proficiency (22.2%) is dramatically higher than the district's 15.5%, and its science proficiency (29.2%) also leads the district (24.8%) and edges out the state average (27.8%). However, the school's primary academic weakness is English Language Arts, where its 48.6% proficiency rate falls 6.5 points below the state average of 55.1%, despite still beating the district's 45.0%.
The school's state ranking has been somewhat volatile, moving from 60th in 2022-2023 to a strong 43rd in 2023-2024, before settling at 51st for 2024-2025. This fluctuation, combined with its small enrollment of 287 students, suggests that year-to-year results can be significantly influenced by a small number of students. While the school is a clear leader within its district, its ELA scores and ranking inconsistency place it in the competitive middle tier of West Virginia high schools. The lack of reported free/reduced lunch data makes it difficult to fully assess the socioeconomic context, but the combination of strong graduation rates, district-leading math and science scores, and a favorable student-teacher ratio makes Magnolia High School a solid choice for families seeking a well-resourced, small-school environment, with the caveat that literacy support may be an area to watch.
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