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Welch, West Virginia - 9 schools
An equity score of 47/100 ranks Mcdowell County Schools #14 of 56 districts in West Virginia (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,404 per pupil, Mcdowell County Schools ranks #19 of 56 West Virginia districts by per-pupil spending (West Virginia districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,537
Total Enrollment
9
Schools
$14,404
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Mcdowell County Schools operates 9 public schools serving 2,537 students, placing it among the smaller districts in West Virginia. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Mcdowell County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,404 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 28.0% local, 38.8% state, and 33.2% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 47/100, ranked #14 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 2 of 9 schools offering Advanced Placement (7 AP courses district-wide), a 272.6:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 72.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 87.8% White, 6.4% African American, 0.7% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Kimball Elementary School, with a diversity index of 51.1/100.
Its largest campus is Mount View High School, enrolling 521 students (23% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Fall River Elementary School, at 112 students, a 5x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Mount View High School accounts for 20.5% of all Mcdowell County Schools student enrollment
That concentration means Mcdowell County Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
Mcdowell County Schools school enrollment varies 4.7× across entities
Mcdowell County Schools school enrollment ranges from 112 students (lowest) to 521 students (highest), a spread of 409 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.
Mcdowell County Schools student-counselor ratio is 273:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Mcdowell County Schools is typically wider than the Mcdowell County Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Mcdowell County Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 72.0% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Mcdowell County Schools has 9 schools, including 7 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 2,537 students.
How much does Mcdowell County Schools spend per student?
Mcdowell County Schools spends $14,404 per student. The district has an equity score of 47/100, ranking #14 in West Virginia.
What is the demographic composition of Mcdowell County Schools?
Mcdowell County Schools students are 87.8% White, 6.4% African American, 0.7% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Mcdowell County Schools?
Mcdowell County Schools has an equity score of 47/100, ranking #14 out of 56 districts in West Virginia.