Charleston, W.Va. (WVDN)z – West Virginia continues to see improvements in student achievement in most grades, as demonstrated by the 2026 student assessment results released today at the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) meeting in Charleston. Due to the hard work of administrators, educators and students, the 2026 proficiency rates in math and English language arts (ELA) now exceed 2019 pre-COVID proficiency rates overall and at most grade levels.
The state’s overall percent proficient in math increased from 38% to 39%, while ELA proficiency remained steady at 48%. In science, which is only administered in Grades 5, 8 and 11, the percent proficient dropped from 30% to 29%, which was the same as in 2024.
Students in most grades continued to see improvement with only a few exceptions.
Mathematics
The proficiency rate among all students for math is 39.4%, higher than the 38.7% before the pandemic. Almost all grade levels increased in math, with a 2% increase in Grades 5, 6 and 7 and a 1% increase in Grades 3, 8 and 11, reflecting continued growth in student learning. Grade 4 proficiency decreased by one percentage point.
ELA
Overall, ELA proficiency remained flat but still above pre-COVID levels. The percent proficient in ELA from 2025 to 2026 increased in Grades 5, 6, 7 and 8. Rates stayed the same in Grades 3 and 4. The outlier was Grade 11 ELA proficiency, which dropped 4% from 55% to 51%. The College Board has reported similar results on the SAT School Day in reading and writing from 2025 to 2026 in other states as well.
Chronic absenteeism impacts student outcomes, with a distinct correlation of lower proficiency results among students who are chronically absent. This includes nearly 15% lower proficiency rates in ELA and 20% lower rates in math across all grades.
“Our teachers, administrators and staff in our public schools are working extremely hard every day to support our students and advance their learning, health and overall outcomes,” said State Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt. “The increases we are experiencing are the result of the dedication of these men and women. They see our children’s potential and ensure their needs are met so they can be successful in school and beyond.”
The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) has continued several initiatives to support student learning. The literacy campaign known as Ready, Read, Write, West Virginia focuses on the Science of Reading in early grades. The department’s Unite with Numeracy targets improvement in mathematics.
A recent national study revealed some of the challenges facing the Mountain State, ranking it second in the nation for the most underprivileged children. Contributing factors include low-income households, low workforce participation rates and the number of children living in foster care or with grandparents.
“It is difficult to compare West Virginia with states that have growing economies, bustling populations and higher educational attainment along with higher job participation rates,” Superintendent Blatt said. “However, as public schools and educators, we will continue to work through our challenges to give our children the best education and opportunities to succeed.”
The overall 2026 results include combined student performance across grade levels and across all the state’s summative assessments, including the West Virginia General Summative Assessment in Grades 3-8, the SAT School Day in Grade 11 and the West Virginia Alternate Summative Assessment (WVASA) in Grades 3-8 and 11. The WVASA is administered to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.
The accountability assessment results are based on the performance of students who are enrolled for a full academic year, meaning they were enrolled for at least 135 days during the school year and were present in the end-of-year enrollment file.
For complete assessment results, including county- and school-level results, please visit the ZoomWV Dashboard.
