Summary:
Zip code 26241 is home to a single public high school, Elkins High School, which serves grades 9 through 12 and is part of the Randolph County Schools district, offering a straightforward picture for parents in this area.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that Elkins High School is a school of stark contrasts. Its greatest strength is its graduation rate of 96.4%, which outpaces both the district (95.1%) and the state (92.8%). This means the school is very effective at getting students to the finish line. However, academic proficiency on state tests tells a different story. In the most recent testing year, only 14% of 11th graders were proficient in math, 19.9% in science, and 45.6% in English Language Arts—all below state averages. The school’s state ranking has been volatile, dropping to 0 stars in 2024-2025 before rebounding to 2 stars in 2025-2026, with a dramatic jump from the 8th to the 43rd percentile. This recent improvement is visible across all subjects, but math remains a clear weakness. The student-teacher ratio of 17.5 to 1 is relatively high, which could impact individualized attention.
The most interesting finding is the "proficiency-graduation paradox": the school excels at graduating students even though many are not meeting state proficiency benchmarks. This suggests graduation requirements may not align tightly with state test standards. On a positive note, Elkins High School outperforms its district averages in recent testing, particularly in ELA (45.6% vs. 39.8%) and science (19.9% vs. 16.8%), making it a relative leader locally. While the upward trend is encouraging, parents should be aware that the school faces a significant challenge in bridging the gap between its high graduation success and its below-average academic performance, especially in mathematics.
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