Academic Performance and Resource Analysis: Pocahontas County Schools
I. Executive Summary: Pocahontas County Schools Performance and Resource Analysis
A. Introduction to the Analysis
This report presents a detailed analysis of academic performance and resource allocation for the three public schools comprising the Pocahontas County, West Virginia, school district: Marlinton Elementary School, Marlinton Middle School, and Pocahontas County High School. The analysis is based on academic data from the School Year (SY) 2025 Balanced Scorecard 1 and financial/enrollment context from Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 state-level reporting.1
B. Summary of Key Findings
This analysis reveals a district defined by a stark contrast between K-8 success and 9-12 challenges, complicated by a critical lack of financial transparency in the provided data.
Academic Performance (SY 2025): The district demonstrates a significant "middle school peak." Marlinton Middle School posts academic performance values in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics that are not only the highest in the county but also substantially exceed those of peer-district middle schools identified in the state data.1
Academic Challenge: A significant "high school slump" is evident. Academic performance drops sharply upon entry into Pocahontas County High School. The high school's ELA and Math performance values fall well below the K-8 baseline and, critically, failed to meet the state's annual academic targets in either subject.1
Critical Data Gap (Financials & Enrollment): This report confirms a major data limitation. The provided FY 2024 financial data, sourced from the WV Details ESSA_PerPupil.xls file, does not contain any entries for Pocahontas County (District 69.0). This omission was verified through multiple targeted search queries.1
Financial Context: The absence of this data is a major impediment to a full analysis. Per-pupil expenditures in other West Virginia rural districts, which are present in the data, show extreme variance. For example, the FY 2024 average expenditure per pupil in Barbour County was $12,959.87, while in the smaller Doddridge County, it was $24,953.56.1 It is unknown where Pocahontas County falls on this wide spectrum, making it impossible to correlate funding with academic outcomes.
C. Structure of the Report
This report is structured in three subsequent sections. Section II provides a detailed profile of the academic performance for each of the three county schools. Section III analyzes the missing financial and enrollment data, placing this gap in context with a comprehensive benchmark of other West Virginia counties. Finally, Section IV provides an integrated analysis, synthesizing these findings and offering strategic observations.
II. Academic Performance Profile: Pocahontas County Schools (SY 2025)
A. Overview of Academic Metrics
This section analyzes the "Assessment ELA Performance Value" and "Assessment Math Performance Value" for each school in Pocahontas County. This data is sourced from the SY25 Balanced Scorecard Results.csv file.1 These "Performance Values" are a nuanced metric used by the state, often incorporating student growth and achievement across all performance levels, rather than simple proficiency. The data presented reflects the "Total" student subgroup, representing the entire school population.1
B. School-by-School Data Presentation and Analysis
The following table serves as the central data repository for the district's academic performance, allowing for a clear comparison across the K-12 continuum.
Pocahontas County Schools Academic Performance (SY 2025) 1
School Name | School Level | ELA Performance Value | Math Performance Value | ELA Target Met? | Math Target Met? |
Marlinton Elementary School | Elementary | 0.6138 | 0.6161 | Yes | Yes |
Marlinton Middle School | Middle | 0.6581 | 0.6000 | Yes | Yes |
Pocahontas County High School | High School | 0.5265 | 0.4612 | No | No |
C. Analysis of School-Level Performance
1. Marlinton Elementary School (School Code 202)
Data Points: ELA Performance: 0.6138; Math Performance: 0.6161.
Interpretation: The elementary school provides a strong and balanced academic foundation. The near-identical performance in both ELA and Math suggests a well-rounded curriculum. Critically, the school met its state-set annual targets in both core subjects, indicating it is successfully achieving its defined academic goals.1
2. Marlinton Middle School (School Code 302)
Data Points: ELA Performance: 0.6581; Math Performance: 0.6000.
Interpretation: Marlinton Middle School represents the district's academic peak. ELA performance improves from the elementary level, and Math performance remains exceptionally strong. Both subjects met their annual state targets.1
Comparative Analysis: The strength of these scores becomes evident when benchmarked against other middle schools available in the state data. Marlinton Middle School is a significant positive outlier. For example, its ELA performance value of 0.6581 and Math performance of 0.6000 are substantially higher than every other peer-district middle school available in the SY25 Balanced Scorecard Results file. This includes Belington Middle (ELA 0.5214, Math 0.4909), Philippi Middle (ELA 0.4507, Math 0.4044), Hedgesville Middle (ELA 0.5703, Math 0.4800), and Martinsburg North Middle (ELA 0.4705, Math 0.3541).1 This suggests a highly effective program that serves as a model of success among the state's rural districts.
3. Pocahontas County High School (School Code 501)
Data Points: ELA Performance: 0.5265; Math Performance: 0.4612.
Interpretation: A dramatic academic decline occurs at the high school level. ELA performance drops 13.16 percentage points from the middle school's high, and Math performance drops 13.88 percentage points. This trend confirms the district's primary academic challenge is the transition to and execution at the 9-12 level. The strong foundation built in K-8 is not being sustained, a conclusion reinforced by the school's failure to meet state targets in either ELA or Math.1
Contradictory Indicators: The academic scores are low, but other high school metrics from the scorecard complicate the picture. Pocahontas County High School has an "On Track Value" of 0.8276.1 This metric, a key indicator of 9th-grade success (i.e., students earning sufficient credits to advance), is relatively high. For comparison, Philip Barbour High School in Barbour County has an "On Track Value" of just 0.7702.1
This suggests Pocahontas County High School is succeeding at retention—keeping 9th graders engaged and passing courses. However, it is failing at rigor. The low ELA/Math assessment values, combined with a mediocre "Post Secondary Value" of 0.5789 1, indicate that while students are passing, they are not being prepared for standardized assessments or post-secondary readiness.
III. Analysis of Enrollment and Financial Benchmarking (FY 2024)
A. Addressing the Data Gap for Pocahontas County
This report must formally address the user's request for enrollment (LOC_ENR) and per-pupil expenditure (GR_TOT) data for Pocahontas County. A comprehensive review of the provided research file WV Details ESSA_PerPupil.xls - ESSA_PerPupil.csv 1 confirms that this information is absent.
Multiple targeted search queries for Pocahontas County (District 69.0) within this financial data file yielded no results.1 This critical data gap makes it impossible to directly correlate funding with the academic performance trends identified in Section II. The "why" behind the high school's performance drop—whether it is a result of resource diversion to K-8, overall low county funding, or inefficient use of adequate funding—cannot be determined from the provided materials.
B. Benchmarking: Financial and Enrollment Context from Peer WV Districts
To provide the necessary context for this missing data, the following table presents the district-level enrollment and expenditure data for other non-metro counties available in the FY 2024 financial file.1 This table illustrates the extreme variance in resource allocation across West Virginia.
Comparative District Enrollment and Expenditure (FY 2024) 1
District Name | District Code | Total Enrollment (LOC_ENR) | Avg. Expenditure per Pupil (GR_TOT) |
Pocahontas County | 69.0 | Data Not Available in Source | Data Not Available in Source |
Barbour County | 2.0 | 2,079 | $12,959.87 |
Doddridge County | 18.0 | 1,156 | $24,953.56 |
Fayette County | 20.0 | Data Not Found | Data Not Found |
Jefferson County | 37.0 | 8,239 | $15,687.81 |
(Note: District totals (LOC 999) for several counties, including Fayette, Logan, Marion, and Monongalia, were truncated or not fully present in the provided data snippet and are thus excluded from this benchmark table.)
C. Analysis of Financial Disparities
The data clearly shows there is no "standard" funding level for a rural West Virginia school district. A massive gap exists between districts, driven by factors such as total enrollment, local economic tax base, federal grant acquisition, and other revenue sources.
The two most complete rural profiles in the data, Barbour and Doddridge counties, illustrate this disparity. Barbour County has nearly twice the students (2,079) as Doddridge (1,156) but spends only $12,959.87 per pupil. In contrast, the smaller Doddridge County district spends a massive $24,953.56 per pupil.1
This variance is the central unknown for Pocahontas County.
If Pocahontas County is a low-enrollment, high-spending district (like Doddridge), its high school's low performance (ELA 0.5265, Math 0.4612) 1 would be a major red flag, suggesting a severe misalignment of resources.
Conversely, if Pocahontas County is a low-funding district (like Barbour), its high school's struggles might be seen as a direct result of resource starvation. This scenario would also make its K-8 success (ELA/Math > 0.6000) 1 even more remarkable, indicating highly efficient resource use at the lower levels.
Without the specific financial data for Pocahontas County 1, a true expert-level diagnosis of the district's performance is impossible.
IV. Integrated Analysis and Strategic Observations
A. Synthesizing Academic and Financial Data
By integrating the knowns (Pocahontas's academic scores from 1) with the contextual benchmarks (financial data from 1), several key observations emerge.
Observation 1: The K-8 Success Story. The performance of Marlinton Elementary and, most notably, Marlinton Middle School is a point of significant strength. The middle school's ELA (0.6581) and Math (0.6000) scores are high on an absolute basis and exceptional relative to peers.1 This suggests that programmatic, curriculum, and instructional leadership at the K-8 level is highly effective.
Observation 2: The High School Conundrum. The academic drop at Pocahontas County High School (ELA 0.5265, Math 0.4612) is the district's primary liability. This failure to meet state targets 1 threatens to undo the strong K-8 foundation. The contradictory "On Track Value" (0.8276) 1 suggests the school is successfully retaining students but failing to make them academically proficient.
Observation 3: The Financial Unknown. The reason for this discrepancy is unanswerable without the missing data.1 A full analysis of individual school-level expenditure data (the GR_TOT for each of the three schools) would be the most critical next step. This data would reveal if resources are being allocated equitably across the K-8 and 9-12 levels or if the high school is being underfunded relative to its peers and needs.
B. Key Questions Arising from the Analysis
The available data raises several critical questions for district stakeholders:
Replication of Success: What specific instructional strategies, curriculum frameworks, and school culture elements are being used at Marlinton Middle School that result in ELA and Math performance significantly above state peers?
Vertical Alignment: Why are these successful K-8 strategies not translating to the high school? This points to a potential "vertical alignment" gap between the 8th and 9th-grade curricula.
Rigor vs. Retention: Why is the "On Track Value" (0.8276) at the high school relatively strong, while the core academic "Performance Values" (0.5265, 0.4612) are low?1 This suggests a potential lack of rigor in 9th-grade courses that, while granting credits, may not prepare students for standardized assessments or post-secondary success.
Resource Allocation: What is the per-pupil expenditure at Pocahontas County High School relative to Marlinton Elementary and Marlinton Middle? The missing financial data 1 holds the answer to whether this is a problem of resources (funding) or strategy (use of funds).
V. Concluding Observations and Recommendations
A. Summary of Pocahontas County School Profile
Pocahontas County School District is a district of two extremes. It demonstrates proven, benchmark-beating success at the K-8 level, particularly in middle school ELA and Math.1 This success is followed by a severe performance decline at the high school level, characterized by low academic performance values and a failure to meet state targets, even as 9th-grade retention metrics appear adequate.1
B. Primary Recommendation (Addressing the Data Gap)
The primary recommendation of this report is the immediate acquisition of the complete WV Details ESSA_PerPupil.xls dataset for Fiscal Year 2024 (or the most recent available year) from the West Virginia Department of Education.
Justification: The provided snippets 1 are incomplete. The missing enrollment (LOC_ENR) and per-pupil expenditure (GR_TOT) data for District 69.0 1 is the single most critical barrier to a comprehensive analysis. A full analysis of the district's resource-to-outcome efficiency is impossible without it.
C. Strategic Recommendations Based on Available Data
While awaiting complete financial data, the district can act on the clear academic trends identified in this report.
Internal Review: The district leadership should immediately commission a "vertical alignment" review to analyze the curriculum and instructional handoff between Marlinton Middle School and Pocahontas County High School. The goal is to identify and replicate the successful strategies from the middle school into the 9th and 10th grades.
Focus on Rigor: The high school should investigate the disconnect between its strong "On Track Value" (0.8276) and its low "Assessment Performance Values" (ELA 0.5265, Math 0.4612).1 This may indicate that 9th-grade courses are not sufficiently rigorous to prepare students for higher-level content, standardized tests, or post-secondary work (as reflected in the 0.5789 Post Secondary Value).1
Financial Analysis (Pending Data): Once the full financial data 1 is obtained, the district must conduct a weighted-student-formula review to ensure that resources are being equitably and effectively allocated to the high school population, which often requires more expensive, specialized courses to achieve post-secondary readiness.
Works cited
WV_Balanced_Scorecard_Data_2025 (1).xlsx
No comments:
Post a Comment