West Virginia Education Statistics 2026: Schools, Enrollment & Spending
West Virginia reported 234,957 students in county and public charter schools for 2025-26, down 6,067 students from the prior year. The state operated 618 PK-12 schools across 55 county systems and seven public charter schools.
Enrollment and school counts use certified academic-year records. Spending uses the latest nationally comparable finance release, fiscal year 2024. The reporting periods remain separate throughout the tables and charts.
West Virginia’s 2026 Education Snapshot
Each value carries its own source year; enrollment and finance figures are not treated as one reporting period.
County Enrollment Fell While Charter Enrollment Expanded
Certified headcount by public school provider, 2023-24 through 2025-26
The statewide total fell by 10,090 students over two years. Charter growth offset part of the county-system decline but did not reverse the statewide direction.
County and charter movement
- County systems lost 12,063 students between 2023-24 and 2025-26, a decline of 4.97%.
- Public charter headcount rose by 1,973 students over the same period and reached 4,243.
- Charter schools accounted for 1.81% of statewide county-and-charter headcount in 2025-26.
- Virtual charter enrollment represented 3,441 of 4,243 charter students in 2025-26.
Enrollment in All 55 County School Systems
Certified second-month headcount. Public charter systems are excluded from county rows and reported separately in the statewide totals.
| Rank | County system | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | Change | Change % | County share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kanawha County Schools | 23,101 | 22,132 | -969 | -4.19% | 9.59% |
| 2 | Berkeley County Schools | 19,965 | 19,797 | -168 | -0.84% | 8.58% |
| 3 | Monongalia County Schools | 11,159 | 11,070 | -89 | -0.80% | 4.80% |
| 4 | Cabell County Schools | 11,178 | 10,955 | -223 | -1.99% | 4.75% |
| 5 | Wood County Schools | 11,078 | 10,819 | -259 | -2.34% | 4.69% |
| 6 | Raleigh County Schools | 10,287 | 10,090 | -197 | -1.92% | 4.37% |
| 7 | Harrison County Schools | 9,355 | 8,926 | -429 | -4.59% | 3.87% |
| 8 | Putnam County Schools | 8,506 | 8,357 | -149 | -1.75% | 3.62% |
| 9 | Jefferson County Schools | 8,371 | 8,213 | -158 | -1.89% | 3.56% |
| 10 | Mercer County Schools | 8,231 | 7,906 | -325 | -3.95% | 3.43% |
| 11 | Marion County Schools | 7,100 | 6,903 | -197 | -2.77% | 2.99% |
| 12 | Wayne County Schools | 5,915 | 5,679 | -236 | -3.99% | 2.46% |
| 13 | Fayette County Schools | 5,222 | 5,031 | -191 | -3.66% | 2.18% |
| 14 | Ohio County Schools | 4,719 | 4,580 | -139 | -2.95% | 1.99% |
| 15 | Logan County Schools | 4,665 | 4,347 | -318 | -6.82% | 1.88% |
| 16 | Greenbrier County Schools | 4,397 | 4,223 | -174 | -3.96% | 1.83% |
| 17 | Marshall County Schools | 4,098 | 3,992 | -106 | -2.59% | 1.73% |
| 18 | Jackson County Schools | 3,968 | 3,896 | -72 | -1.81% | 1.69% |
| 19 | Mineral County Schools | 3,877 | 3,880 | +3 | +0.08% | 1.68% |
| 20 | Preston County Schools | 3,763 | 3,549 | -214 | -5.69% | 1.54% |
| 21 | Mason County Schools | 3,542 | 3,462 | -80 | -2.26% | 1.50% |
| 22 | Randolph County Schools | 3,488 | 3,351 | -137 | -3.93% | 1.45% |
| 23 | Hancock County Schools | 3,311 | 3,275 | -36 | -1.09% | 1.42% |
| 24 | Mingo County Schools | 3,356 | 3,255 | -101 | -3.01% | 1.41% |
| 25 | Upshur County Schools | 3,380 | 3,197 | -183 | -5.41% | 1.39% |
| 26 | Wyoming County Schools | 3,266 | 3,133 | -133 | -4.07% | 1.36% |
| 27 | Nicholas County Schools | 3,189 | 3,006 | -183 | -5.74% | 1.30% |
| 28 | Boone County Schools | 3,050 | 2,870 | -180 | -5.90% | 1.24% |
| 29 | Hampshire County Schools | 2,645 | 2,659 | +14 | +0.53% | 1.15% |
| 30 | Lincoln County Schools | 2,713 | 2,638 | -75 | -2.76% | 1.14% |
| 31 | Brooke County Schools | 2,206 | 2,160 | -46 | -2.09% | 0.94% |
| 32 | Hardy County Schools | 2,182 | 2,154 | -28 | -1.28% | 0.93% |
| 33 | Lewis County Schools | 2,217 | 2,148 | -69 | -3.11% | 0.93% |
| 34 | McDowell County Schools | 2,236 | 2,089 | -147 | -6.57% | 0.91% |
| 35 | Morgan County Schools | 2,111 | 2,062 | -49 | -2.32% | 0.89% |
| 36 | Taylor County Schools | 2,117 | 2,013 | -104 | -4.91% | 0.87% |
| 37 | Wetzel County Schools | 2,140 | 1,979 | -161 | -7.52% | 0.86% |
| 38 | Barbour County Schools | 1,966 | 1,907 | -59 | -3.00% | 0.83% |
| 39 | Grant County Schools | 1,611 | 1,570 | -41 | -2.55% | 0.68% |
| 40 | Monroe County Schools | 1,594 | 1,548 | -46 | -2.89% | 0.67% |
| 41 | Roane County Schools | 1,630 | 1,545 | -85 | -5.21% | 0.67% |
| 42 | Braxton County Schools | 1,567 | 1,514 | -53 | -3.38% | 0.66% |
| 43 | Clay County Schools | 1,412 | 1,338 | -74 | -5.24% | 0.58% |
| 44 | Tyler County Schools | 1,184 | 1,224 | +40 | +3.38% | 0.53% |
| 45 | Doddridge County Schools | 1,203 | 1,220 | +17 | +1.41% | 0.53% |
| 46 | Ritchie County Schools | 1,130 | 1,111 | -19 | -1.68% | 0.48% |
| 47 | Summers County Schools | 1,133 | 1,053 | -80 | -7.06% | 0.46% |
| 48 | Pleasants County Schools | 1,043 | 1,011 | -32 | -3.07% | 0.44% |
| 49 | Webster County Schools | 1,048 | 990 | -58 | -5.53% | 0.43% |
| 50 | Tucker County Schools | 918 | 906 | -12 | -1.31% | 0.39% |
| 51 | Pendleton County Schools | 851 | 843 | -8 | -0.94% | 0.37% |
| 52 | Pocahontas County Schools | 893 | 833 | -60 | -6.72% | 0.36% |
| 53 | Wirt County Schools | 862 | 831 | -31 | -3.60% | 0.36% |
| 54 | Calhoun County Schools | 789 | 762 | -27 | -3.42% | 0.33% |
| 55 | Gilmer County Schools | 720 | 712 | -8 | -1.11% | 0.31% |
| — | 55-county total | 237,658 | 230,714 | -6,944 | -2.92% | 100.00% |
County distribution and movement
- 51 of 55 county systems reported lower headcount; Tyler, Doddridge, Hampshire, and Mineral reported increases.
- The 10 largest county systems enrolled 51.26% of all county-system students.
- Kanawha recorded the largest numerical decline at 969 students; Wetzel recorded the largest percentage decline at 7.52%.
- The median county system enrolled 2,870 students, while the mean was about 4,195 because a small group of systems served much larger populations.
The School Network Is Smaller Than It Was Two Years Ago
School totals cover county and public charter PK-12 schools. The WVDE snapshot excludes the state schools for the deaf, blind, and institutional education from these PK-12 totals.
PK-12 Schools by Program Level
Elementary, middle, and secondary school counts, 2023-24 to 2025-26
The state reported 19 fewer county-and-charter PK-12 schools in 2025-26 than in 2023-24.
| School measure | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | Two-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total PK-12 schools | 637 | 629 | 618 | -19 |
| County PK-12 schools | 632 | 623 | 611 | -21 |
| Charter PK-12 schools | 5 | 6 | 7 | +2 |
| Elementary schools | 369 | 361 | 358 | -11 |
| Middle schools | 153 | 151 | 145 | -8 |
| Secondary schools | 115 | 117 | 115 | 0 |
Where the school count changed
- Total county-and-charter PK-12 schools declined by 2.98% over two years.
- County PK-12 schools fell from 632 to 611, while charter schools increased from five to seven.
- Elementary schools declined by 11 and middle schools declined by eight; the secondary count returned to 115 after reaching 117 in 2024-25.
Per-Pupil Current Spending Since FY2019
Census current spending covers operating costs for public pre-K-12 education. The values are nominal and exclude capital outlay and debt service.
West Virginia Current Spending per Pupil
Annual Survey of School System Finances, FY2019-FY2024
The series rose from $12,010 in FY2019 to $15,640 in FY2024 before any inflation or regional price adjustment.
| Fiscal year | Current spending per pupil | One-year change |
|---|---|---|
| FY2019 | $12,010 | Base year |
| FY2020 | $12,375 | +3.04% |
| FY2021 | $13,059 | +5.52% |
| FY2022 | $13,858 | +6.12% |
| FY2023 | $14,575 | +5.18% |
| FY2024 | $15,640 | +7.30% |
Nominal spending movement
- Current spending per pupil increased by $3,630, or 30.2%, from FY2019 to FY2024 in nominal dollars.
- The FY2024 increase of 7.30% was the largest one-year rise in the six-year series.
- The trend does not measure changes in purchasing power because inflation and regional prices are not applied.
FY2024 Spending Position and Revenue Mix
West Virginia’s per-pupil value sits above the South’s weighted average and below the national average. Its revenue mix relies more on federal sources and less on local sources than the U.S. distribution.
Current Spending per Pupil Compared
West Virginia, South weighted average, and United States, FY2024
The comparison uses nominal current spending and does not adjust for differences in wages, prices, district size, or student needs.
| Finance metric | West Virginia | Comparison | Difference or share | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per pupil | $15,640 | South weighted average: $14,153 | +$1,487 | FY2024 nominal dollars |
| Current spending per pupil | $15,640 | United States: $17,619 | -$1,979 | FY2024 nominal dollars |
| Federal revenue share | 18.4% | United States: 11.6% | +6.8 pp | Share of total revenue |
| State revenue share | 46.0% | United States: 45.2% | +0.8 pp | Share of total revenue |
| Local revenue share | 35.6% | United States: 43.2% | -7.6 pp | Share of total revenue |
| Total school-system revenue | $4.747B | West Virginia total | Not a ratio | FY2024 |
| Current spending | $3.870B | 87.3% of total expenditures | 87.3% | FY2024 |
| Capital outlay | $544.3M | 12.3% of total expenditures | 12.3% | FY2024 |
Spending and revenue position
- West Virginia spent $1,487 more per pupil than the South weighted average and $1,979 less than the U.S. average.
- Federal sources supplied 18.4% of West Virginia school-system revenue, 6.8 percentage points above the national share.
- Local sources supplied 35.6% of revenue, 7.6 percentage points below the national share.
- Current spending accounted for 87.3% of the state’s reported public school-system expenditures in FY2024.
What Separates West Virginia’s Enrollment and Spending Measures
The indicators answer different questions and should not be merged into a single year or interpreted as direct causes.
Statewide Decline Masks Two Provider Trends
County systems declined by 2.92% in one year, while public charter headcount rose by 26.05%. The combined statewide decline was therefore smaller than the county-system decline.
Headcount and FTE Are Different Measures
The county ranking uses certified student headcount. West Virginia school-aid calculations also use full-time-equivalent enrollment, which reflects funded instructional participation rather than a simple student count.
Per-Pupil Growth Is a Ratio
A higher per-pupil amount can occur when spending and enrollment change at different rates. The FY2024 figure does not by itself show whether every school, county, or service received a matching increase.
School Counts Do Not Equal Buildings or Sites
The 618 total covers county and charter PK-12 schools. Alternative programs, career-technical centers, multi-county vocational centers, and state-operated settings are reported through separate categories.
Data Sources and Measurement
West Virginia Department of Education, Education Snapshot and certified second-month headcount for 2025-26.
West Virginia Department of Education, Comparison of Headcount Enrollment, 2024-25 and 2025-26.
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of School System Finances, summary tables 1, 5, 8, and 20.
U.S. Census Bureau, Current Spending per Pupil by Region, fiscal year 2024.
West Virginia Department of Education, 2024-25 four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate release.
USSchoolIndex.org state-profile structure and data-handling rules used for this publication.
Enrollment is certified second-month headcount unless labeled FTE. County shares use the 230,714 students reported across the 55 county systems. Statewide enrollment totals add the county and public charter categories. Finance totals are reported in nominal dollars; displayed billions and millions are rounded, while percentage calculations use the underlying Census values. Percentage-point differences are labeled “pp.”
Enrollment and school counts are from 2025-26, the graduation rate is from 2024-25, and finance values are from FY2024. Current spending excludes capital outlay, debt service, and non-pre-K-12 programs. Finance comparisons are not adjusted for inflation or regional price levels.