Summary:
Zip code 26521 is a rural area in Blacksville, WV, served by a single elementary school, Mason Dixon Elementary, which enrolls 305 students in grades Pre-K through 5th grade.
Mason Dixon Elementary is part of the highly regarded Monongalia County Schools district, which ranks in the 91st percentile statewide. The school itself, however, faces significant academic challenges. While it maintains a favorable 13.2:1 student-teacher ratio and spends $14,044 per student, its overall proficiency rates lag far behind district averages—34.3% vs. 52.9% in math and 27.9% vs. 60.6% in English Language Arts. The school’s state ranking has been consistently in the bottom quartile, currently sitting at 316 out of 355 schools (11th percentile).
The most striking finding is a dramatic academic decline between 3rd and 4th grade. In 3rd grade math, students achieve 61.4% proficiency, nearly matching the district average of 62.7%. But by 4th grade, math proficiency collapses to just 12.8%, a staggering 46.6-point gap from the district. A similar pattern emerges in ELA, where the gap widens from -15.3 points in 3rd grade to -36.9 points by 5th grade, indicating that skill deficits compound over time. Science scores also show extreme volatility, dropping from 43.5% to 20.4% in just one year. For parents, this suggests that while early elementary instruction shows promise, upper-grade students face significant hurdles. The school would benefit from targeted interventions in 4th grade math and school-wide literacy support to address these concerning trends before students transition to middle school.
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