Education
Educating our children is the number one priority in Pleasants County. The
community proudly supports the academic, artistic, and athletic
pursuits of over 1300 students at levels pre-kindergarten through
grade 12. Each school is supported by one or more industry/business
partners. The average class size is 20 for the elementary and middle
schools and 13 for the high school. More than 75 percent of the
teachers have earned at least a master’s degree, and the average
experience level for faculty members and administrators is over
20 years.
Students have ready access to computers at all levels. Labs are used for research, applications, technical education, online classes, accelerated reading and other instructional functions. The high school journalism students employ the latest imaging software in creating the award-winning school newspaper and yearbook.
The Mid Ohio Valley Technical Institute, with support from West Virginia University-Parkersburg, provides specialized vocational and technical instruction, certification and college credit in a variety of fields. Our regional center also serves students from other county systems.
All of the county’s schools have attained state and/or national recognition through the Blue Ribbon Schools or Schools of Excellence programs. Some two-thirds of our high school graduates continue their formal educations at a diversity of institutions, including in-state colleges and universities as well as Ivy League schools, Big Ten Schools, and other top-notch universities like Duke and Washington and Lee.
It is the goal of the Pleasants County community to ensure the brightest future possible for all of our children.
| School | Grades | Enrollment | Teacher's with Master's Degree | Pupil / Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont Elementary School |
Pre-K thru 4 | 247 | 76% | 14.5 |
| St. Mary's Elementary School |
Pre-K thru 4 | 318 | 67% | 15.1 |
| Pleasant's County Middle School |
5 thru 8 | 403 | 78% | 13.0 |
| St. Mary's High School |
9 thru 12 | 382 | 81% | 12.5 |
Most of our students continue their public education through high school graduation. The recent dropout rate has been about 2.0 percent. This compares very favorably with our state and the region. Over one-half of our high school students typically take the ACT test for college entrance with the average scores being 20+ and 21+ in recent years.
Over several years, 70 percent or more of our elementary-aged students exceeded the national norms on standardized achievement tests, and the middle school and high school students on average have also exceeded the national levels of achievement as indicated by the tests.