Charleston, W.Va. (WVDN) – The West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) recognized the state’s Blue Ribbon School nominees during the November meeting in Charleston. Steenrod Elementary School in Ohio County and Neale Elementary School in Wood County represent the 2025 class from West Virginia. Although the Blue Ribbon School program was eliminated at the federal level, the WVBE recognized the excellence that each school has achieved.
Steenrod Elementary School has an enrollment of approximately 230 students. Collaboration is at the core of the school’s culture, and the school values the spirit of cooperation with administrators, educators, staff, students and families. The school prioritizes academics and social-emotional well-being through its student-first mindset ensuring that students’ needs are met.
Neale Elementary School has a student enrollment of approximately 335 students. Kindness is a core value that touches all parts of the school. The Title I school serves an essential role in the community and is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Students find success beyond the classroom with appearances in state-level competitions such as Math Field Day, the Social Studies Fair and the Spelling Bee.
West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) representatives will visit the schools in the coming weeks to celebrate the nominations with staff, students and the extended community.
State Certified Counts
The WVDE released the 2025 education certified counts. The numbers represent the official enrollment, including employee and facilities counts, for West Virginia public schools.
Each year, the WVDE takes a snapshot of enrollment and staffing data on Oct. 1. This information is entered and verified by county and district personnel.
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment Student Enrollment Charter School Enrollment Non-public School* Homeschool* |
234,937
4,243 14,126 19,621 |
241,024 3,366 12,766 24,502 |
| Staff Professional Staff** Classroom Teacher Certified Teaching out of Content |
21,805
19,213 1,203 |
23,320 19,665 1,524
|
| Service Personnel | 15,241 | 15,010 |
*Data is collected at the conclusion of each school year. Numbers represent the most current data.
**Includes administrators and instructional personnel.
According to the data, public school enrollment has decreased by nearly 16,000 students since the 2021-2022 school year. Of the 55 counties, 51 experienced decreases in student enrollment, as did the Virtual Prep Academy.
Hope Scholarship funding increased from nearly $47 million last fiscal year to approximately $96 million this fiscal year.
Certified data is available on the WVDE’s data portal. To view reports presented during the November WVBE meeting, please visit the WVDE website. Photos are available in a WVDE Flickr album.
The next regularly scheduled WVBE meeting is 9 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Building 6, Suite 600, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East, Charleston, West Virginia.
