| By Bob Weaver
A national education study issued annually by US News and World Report, using numerous metrics, West Virginia schools ranked 45th in the nation, although it ranked 18th in graduation.
In that report, Calhoun Schools ranked low at 54th among 55 WV county systems.
Among the methodology utilized in ranking the districts was student performance, dropout rates, area poverty and school funding.
Superintendent Kelli Whytsell indicated that numerous metrics not related to student performance appeared to be used in the US News report, metrics over which the school has no control.
"Calhoun's graduation rate for 2016-2017 was 95%, our test scores for 2016-2017 also show an improvement over the previous year. The attendance rate for our schools for this year is AES 91.21%; PHE 92.21% and CMHS 92.20%. We are very proud of the continued success and growth," Whytsell said.
Whytsell said the poverty rate and school funding rates are not within local control, when used to measure performance.
"We worked very hard this legislative session to get a bill introduced in the Senate to increase funding for small rural counties with under 1400 students."
"We have a strong partnership with Save the Children. Through various partnerships and grants, we are able to blend funding to provide a wide range of experiences and additional resources for our students that otherwise would not be possible," she said.
"We are working to improve the relationships between school, home, and the community and strive for transparency in all areas where we legally can."
"We offer Community chats, parent engagement activities, advisory committees, and various other avenues for our parents and community to provide input to help us grow and learn about the good things going on in our schools. Our teachers, service personnel, administrators and myself strive every day to improve the quality of education that we offer in Calhoun County," Whytsell concluded.
Calhoun is among a dozen or so counties that does not support its educational system with a supplemental levy.
Studies say Calhoun students are ranked among lowest in college going.
Academic outcomes in Calhoun appeared to hit bottom about 2011, according to state officials.
While the West Virginia Department of Education has embarked and dropped several programs that rated the academic outcomes of WV students, a more current system is in the works, dropping the most recent A to F system of ranking.
In the recently released Nations Report Card,
West Virginia fourth-grade students showed slight improvements in math and reading scores, but remain below the national average.
The national averages are considered sub-par across the USA.
Results released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress show fourth-graders in WV scored 236 out of 500 in math, compared to the national average of 240.
The average reading score among West Virginia fourth-graders was 217, compared to 222 nationally.
In eighth grade, the average math score of 273 in West Virginia was up 2 points from 2015 but below the national average of 283.
The average eighth-grade reading score fell slightly to 259, compared to the national average of 267.
According to the US News and World Reports annual study based on multiple metrics, here are the rankings of WV county school systems:
1 Putnam County Schools
2 Monongalia County Schools
3 Ohio County Schools
4 Jefferson County Schools
5 Harrison County Schools
6 Marion County Schools
7 Hancock County Schools
8 Berkeley County Schools
9 Kanawha County Schools
10 Gilmer County Schools
11 Jackson County Schools
12 Greenbrier County Schools
13 Tyler County Schools
14 Nicholas County Schools
15 Raleigh County Schools
16 Wood County Schools
17 Taylor County Schools
18 Brooke County Schools
19 Cabell County Schools
20 Mercer County Schools
21 Pendleton County Schools
22 Pocahontas County Schools
23 Monroe County Schools
24 Doddridge County Schools
25 Preston County Schools
26 Mason County Schools
27 Wyoming County Schools
28 Clay County Schools
29 Wayne County Schools
30 Pleasants County Schools
31 Hampshire County Schools
32 Randolph County Schools
33 Boone County Schools
34 Morgan County Schools
35 Marshall County Schools
36 Upshur County Schools
37 Mineral County Schools
38 Hardy County Schools
39 Braxton County Schools
40 Lewis County Schools
41 Grant County Schools
42 Ritchie County Schools
43 Summers County Schools
44 Mingo County Schools
45 Wetzel County Schools
46 Logan County Schools
47 Wirt County Schools
48 Lincoln County Schools
49 Roane County Schools
50 Barbour County Schools
51 Fayette County Schools
52 Webster County Schools
53 Tucker County Schools
54 Calhoun County Schools
55 Mcdowell County Schools
| 
