MES

 

Marlinton Elementary School in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, has undergone a significant performance turnaround over the past decade, advancing from the bottom 15–20% of West Virginia public elementary schools in 2016–2019 to consistently performing in the upper third (61st–64th percentile) statewide.

Longitudinal Performance Trend (2015–2026)

School Year	Statewide Rank	Statewide Percentile Rank	Average Score	State Rating
2026	129 of 355	63.7%	58.5	★★★☆☆
2025	138 of 355	61.1%	57.6	★★★☆☆
2024	137 of 368	62.8%	58.4	★★★☆☆
2023	131 of 368	64.4%	59.1	★★★☆☆
2022	88 of 375	76.5%	68.2	★★★★☆
2021	123 of 380	67.6%	59.2	★★★☆☆
2020	Assessment Suspended	COVID-19 Waiver	N/A	N/A
2019	332 of 383	13.3%	23.9	★☆☆☆☆
2018	280 of 392	28.6%	33.4	★☆☆☆☆
2017	220 of 399	44.9%	46.8	★★☆☆☆
2016	327 of 402	18.7%	28.3	★☆☆☆☆
2015	272 of 408	33.3%	39.3	★★☆☆☆

Key Historical Phases

• The Low-Performing Trough (2015–2019): Across the mid-to-late 2010s, Marlinton Elementary struggled with academic proficiency on the West Virginia General Summative Assessment (WVGSA). In 2016 and 2019, performance dropped into the bottom quartile and bottom 14% statewide, earning 1-star designations and triggering targeted intervention reviews.

• The Post-2020 Surge: Following the statewide testing hiatus in 2020, the school experienced a sharp academic rebound in 2021 (67.6th percentile) and peaked in 2022 (76.5th percentile, ranking 88th out of 375 elementary schools with a 4-star designation).

• Consolidation & Stability (2023–2026): Over the last four assessment cycles, the school stabilized into a reliable 3-star tier, hovering between the 61st and 64th percentiles statewide.

Current Subject-Level Proficiency vs. Benchmarks

On current state standardized testing, Marlinton Elementary outperforms the West Virginia state averages across all primary core assessed subjects:

• Mathematics: 53.1% proficient at Marlinton vs. 39.4% statewide (+13.7 percentage points).

• English Language Arts (ELA): 51.0% proficient at Marlinton vs. 47.6% statewide (+3.4 percentage points).

• Science: 39.0% proficient at Marlinton vs. 34.0% statewide (+5.0 percentage points).

• Composite Meeting Standards: 50.0% overall at Marlinton vs. 47.0% district average and 44.0% state average.

• County Rank: Marlinton Elementary currently ranks 2nd of 3 public elementary schools within Pocahontas County Schools.

Data Verification Checklist

1. Review the official West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) ZoomWV Data Dashboard to compare Marlinton Elementary's raw scale scores against county-level cohort growth models.

2. Cross-reference Pocahontas County Board of Education comprehensive school improvement plans (CSIP) from 2019 to 2022 to identify the specific curriculum and reading/math intervention adoptions responsible for the post-2020 inflection point.

3. Track subgroup proficiency trends on the annual West Virginia Balanced Scorecard to evaluate special education and economically disadvantaged growth percentiles against schoolwide baselines.