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SPECIAL REPORT: Annual WV Report Ranking of West Virginia’s Best
Public High Schools™, 2007-2008 Edition Often we know how
well our local high school stacks up athletically when compared to
other schools across the state, yet we have no idea how such
comparisons stand on the central reason for each school’s being; the
quality of its education.
In the past, the quality of a high school was
easily measured by its graduation rate, as little more than
graduation was expected of a high school's effort. This is no
longer the case.
The modern marketplace demands college educated
workers and that every student be well served by their local high
school.
In today’s world we feel that a measure of a
school’s quality should include answers to these questions:
- How well it serves all of its students?
(Dropout rate)
- What is the quality of the classroom
environment? (Percentage of classes taught by Highly Qualified
Teachers and average size of the classes being taught)
- How many students are properly counseled
to enter the college of there choice? (Percentage of ACT test
takers)
- How many of its students enroll in a
college or university upon graduation?
After tabulating the most recent statistics as
provided by the West Virginia Department of Education, the West
Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and the Community and
Technical College System of West Virginia, a formula was created by
higher and secondary education professionals to rank each public
school in West Virginia, balancing each of the aforementioned areas
of concern equally. School finances were not considered as not to
punish high achieving yet poor districts, and current research shows
little correlation between West Virginia public high school quality
as defined in this survey and school funding.
Private schools were not considered as the
environments are too different for a comparison and complete
statistics are not available for all private schools.
The following lists are meant not to vilify
those who ranked poorly, but to acknowledge those who have preformed
well and serve as a guide and a prompt for action for those schools
in need. Where a person goes to school should not limit their
lifetime opportunities.
The Top 25
|
Rank |
School |
County |
Score (1 to 100) |
|
1 |
Bridgeport |
Harrison |
100.00 |
|
2 |
Williamstown |
Wood |
97.67 |
|
3 |
Fairmont Senior |
Marion |
95.82 |
|
4 |
Hundred |
Wetzel |
93.66 |
|
5 |
Tyler |
Tyler |
88.07 |
|
6 |
Ritchie |
Ritchie |
87.51 |
|
7 |
Pendleton |
Pendleton |
86.97 |
|
8 |
Magnolia |
Wetzel |
86.34 |
|
9 |
Paw Paw |
Morgan |
85.79 |
|
10 |
Paden City |
Wetzel |
85.59 |
|
11 |
Elkins |
Randolph |
85.57 |
|
12 |
Wahama |
Mason |
83.50 |
|
13 |
Matewan |
Mingo |
82.84 |
|
14 |
Ravenswood |
Jackson |
81.99 |
|
15 |
Cameron |
Marshall |
81.93 |
|
16 |
Harman |
Randolph |
81.91 |
|
17 |
Wirt |
Wirt |
81.54 |
|
18 |
Brooke |
Brooke |
81.15 |
|
19 |
Winfield |
Putnam |
80.80 |
|
20 |
Williamson |
Mingo |
79.66 |
|
21 |
East Fairmont |
Marion |
79.61 |
|
22 |
Tucker |
Tucker |
79.42 |
|
23 |
Gilmer |
Gilmer |
79.34 |
|
24 |
Spring Valley |
Wayne |
78.73 |
|
25 |
Hurricane |
Putnam |
77.58 |
The Bottom 10
|
Rank |
School |
County |
Score (1 to 100) |
|
113 |
Iaeger |
McDowell |
42.03 |
|
114 |
Mount View |
McDowell |
41.39 |
|
115 |
Hampshire |
Hampshire |
40.97 |
|
116 |
Mount Hope |
Fayette |
39.56 |
|
117 |
Jefferson County |
Jefferson |
39.41 |
|
118 |
Gilbert |
Mingo |
38.88 |
|
119 |
Musselman |
Berkeley |
38.57 |
|
120 |
Sherman |
Boone |
34.20 |
|
121 |
Liberty |
Raleigh |
33.68 |
|
122 |
Montcalm |
Mercer |
28.15 |
Biggest Gap Between ACT Test Takers and
College Enrollees
(Lack of Follow Through)
|
Gap |
School |
County |
|
-24.4% |
Meadow Bridge |
Fayette |
|
-23.9% |
Liberty |
Raleigh |
|
-19.6% |
Tygart’s Valley |
Randolph |
|
-19.3% |
Pendleton |
Pendleton |
Best Dropout Rates
|
Rank |
School |
County |
Drop Outs (%) |
|
1 |
Pickens |
Randolph |
0 |
|
2 |
Gilmer |
Gilmer |
0.4 |
|
3 |
Harman |
Randolph |
0.9 |
|
4 |
Paw Paw |
Morgan |
1 |
|
5 |
Spring Valley |
Wayne |
1 |
|
6 |
Williamstown |
Wood |
1.2 |
|
7 |
Brooke |
Brooke |
1.2 |
|
8 |
Oak Glen |
Hancock |
1.3 |
|
9 |
Cameron |
Marshall |
1.4 |
|
10 |
Doddridge |
Doddridge |
1.4 |
Worst Dropout Rates
|
Rank |
School |
County |
Drop Outs (%) |
|
1 |
Huntington |
Cabell |
7.7 |
|
2 |
Nicholas County |
Nicholas |
6.4 |
|
3 |
Grafton |
Taylor |
6.4 |
|
4 |
Valley |
Wetzel |
6.3 |
|
5 |
Riverside |
Kanawha |
6.2 |
|
6 |
Preston |
Preston |
6.1 |
|
7 |
Princeton |
Mercer |
6.1 |
|
8 |
Duval |
Lincoln |
6.1 |
|
9 |
Lincoln |
Harrison |
6 |
|
10 |
Capitol |
Kanawha |
5.9 |
Most Qualified Faculties
|
School |
County |
%
of Classes Taught by Highly Qualified Teachers |
|
Richwood |
Nicholas |
100 |
|
Lewis County |
Lewis |
100 |
|
South Harrison |
Harrison |
100 |
|
Wirt |
Wirt |
100 |
|
Fayetteville |
Fayette |
100 |
|
John Marshall |
Marshall |
100 |
|
Paden City |
Wetzel |
100 |
|
Pendleton |
Pendleton |
100 |
|
Weir |
Hancock |
100 |
|
Matewan |
Mingo |
100 |
|
Magnolia |
Wetzel |
100 |
|
Cameron |
Marshall |
100 |
|
Oak Glen |
Hancock |
100 |
Least Qualified Faculties
|
School |
County |
%
of Classes Taught by Highly Qualified Teachers |
|
Van |
Boone |
69.1 |
|
Hannan |
Mason |
65.9 |
|
Sissonville |
Kanawha |
65.4 |
|
Sherman |
Boone |
64.9 |
|
Harts |
Lincoln |
51.4 |
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