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Clay, West Virginia - 6 schools
An equity score of 46/100 ranks Clay County Schools #15 of 56 districts in West Virginia (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,825 per pupil, Clay County Schools ranks #26 of 56 West Virginia districts by per-pupil spending (West Virginia districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,632
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$13,825
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Clay County Schools operates 6 public schools serving 1,632 students, placing it among the smallest districts in West Virginia. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Clay County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,825 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 56 West Virginia districts by per-pupil spending. See how West Virginia compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 10.5% local, 66.4% state, and 23.1% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 46/100, ranked #15 of 56 in West Virginia against a state average of 38, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (6 AP courses district-wide), a 388.8:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 35.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 97.3% White, 0.9% Hispanic or Latino, 0.2% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Big Otter Elementary School, with a diversity index of 8.3/100.
Its largest campus is Clay County High School, enrolling 520 students (32% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is H E White Elementary School, at 71 students, a 7x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Clay County High School accounts for 31.9% of all Clay County Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Clay County Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Clay County Schools school enrollment varies 7.3× across entities
Clay County Schools school enrollment ranges from 71 students (lowest) to 520 students (highest), a spread of 449 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Clay County Schools student-counselor ratio is 389:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Clay County Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 35.2% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Clay County Schools has 6 schools, including 1 high, 4 combined, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 1,632 students.
How much does Clay County Schools spend per student?
Clay County Schools spends $13,825 per student. The district has an equity score of 46/100, ranking #15 in West Virginia.
What is the demographic composition of Clay County Schools?
Clay County Schools students are 97.3% White, 0.9% Hispanic or Latino, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% African American, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Clay County Schools?
Clay County Schools has an equity score of 46/100, ranking #15 out of 56 districts in West Virginia.