West Virginia


U.S.
Rank
#6 B
Overall PPI Score: 83%

West Virginia, standing proud at 6th with a B, scales the heights of education freedom. Universal programs and strong charters put parents firmly in the driver’s seat.

Charter Schools

Score
82%
Grade: B
Rank: #11

One of the newest charter states - home to West Virginia Academy, a 2023 Yass Prize Finalist and the first charter in the state -- is the 16th strongest for its wisdom in creating an independent body to authorize schools, allowing them to be their own LEA and...

Transformational Learning

Score
80%
Grade: B
Rank: #10

Schools can offer career and technical and work-based learning opportunities, as well as credit for these activities towards graduation. West Virginia’s commitment to personalized, mastery and competency-based education is reflected in the state’s portrait of...

Leadership

Incoming Governor Patrick Morrisey is a strong advocate for education opporunity.  As the Attorney General in 2022, he helped overturn the challenge to the Hope Scholarship program and will help see it through to statewide eligibility in 2026. At the same...

Choice Programs (Scholarships, Vouchers, Tax Credits, etc.)

Score
85%
Grade: B
Rank: #7

Thanks to the remarkable leadership of State Senator Patricia Rucker and her allies are home to one of the most expansive ESAs in the country. The Hope Scholarship gives parents 100% of the state funding to find the education their students need, which is huge...

DID YOU KNOW?

More than a dozen states made major gains in education freedom this year by passing or expanding ESA programs, signaling a powerful shift toward student-centered funding.

Transparency

School report cards are accessible in the “Data Analysis & Research → Education Data” section of the West Virginia Department of Education website, which takes the viewer to an external website called ZoomVW. The report cards, organized by school districts,...

Teacher Quality

One of many data points to assess whether a state has the right policies in place to ensure teacher quality is the "use of student achievement data in teacher preparation accountability." How empty or full the fuel tank above is will give you the answer for your state.

Fast Facts:

4th Grade Math Proficiency: 31%
8th Grade Math Proficiency: 18%
4th Grade Reading Proficiency: 25%
8th Grade Reading Proficiency: 21%
Average SAT Score: 919 / 1600
Average ACT Score: 20.4 / 36
Graduation Rate: 92.6%

Constitutional Issues

The West Virginia Supreme Court, in a vote of 3-2 overturned the decision of the Kanawha County Circuit Court judge and ruled the Hope Scholarship Program constitutional. The Hope Scholarship Act into law in 2021. It provides money for a variety of educational...