Enrollment
283
West Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Terra Alta, WV
Terra Alta/East Preston School
Federal NCES profile for Terra Alta/East Preston School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 540117000913
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Terra Alta/East Preston School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the West Virginia median.
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.3:1
- students per teacher
- 283
- students enrolled
Terra Alta/East Preston School has class sizes near the West Virginia median. Computed live against every West Virginia school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Preston County Schools · West Virginia
NCES ID 540117000913 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 13.1:1 West Virginia avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Terra Alta/East Preston School compares with West Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Terra Alta/East Preston School
Terra Alta/East Preston School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Terra Alta, West Virginia, enrolling 283 students.
At 12.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the West Virginia median, within a few percentage points of the 13.1:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
With 283 students, its enrollment sits close to the West Virginia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 92% of the 643 West Virginia schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (96% of enrollment) (diversity index 8/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Preston County Schools also operates Preston High School (1,056 students) and West Preston School (604 students) alongside Terra Alta/East Preston School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Terra Alta/East Preston School compares
Terra Alta/East Preston School on the metrics families compare, against West Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs West Virginia | West Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.3:1 | ▼ 6% | 13.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 283 | top 54% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
283
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 42% in West Virginia - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,280
per pupil, district-wide
- below West Virginia avg of $14,844
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 96.1%
Two or More 2.8%
African American 0.7%
Hispanic or Latino 0.4%
Largest group: White at 96.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 7.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.6, Terra Alta/East Preston School is less mixed than the West Virginia school average of 17.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Preston County Schools, which includes Terra Alta/East Preston School.
$12,280
Per student
-17%
vs West Virginia
Avg $14,844
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.1%
State 50.2%
Federal 19.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Terra Alta/East Preston School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preston High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Preston School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bruceton School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kingwood Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Preston School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Terra Alta/East Preston School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,056
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 603
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 312
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of West Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~283 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Terra Alta/East Preston School's federal record.
- Compare Terra Alta/East Preston School against another school. Compare schools
- Preston County Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Terra Alta/East Preston School
How many students attend Terra Alta/East Preston School?
Terra Alta/East Preston School has 283 students enrolled. It is a public school in Terra Alta, WV.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Terra Alta/East Preston School?
The student-teacher ratio at Terra Alta/East Preston School is 12.3:1, which is 6% lower than the West Virginia average of 13.1:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Terra Alta/East Preston School?
The largest demographic group at Terra Alta/East Preston School is White at 96.1% of enrollment, in Terra Alta, WV.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Terra Alta/East Preston School?
Terra Alta/East Preston School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Terra Alta/East Preston School a good school?
Terra Alta/East Preston School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the West Virginia median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Preston County Schools?
Besides Terra Alta/East Preston School, Preston County Schools also operates Preston High School (1,056 students), West Preston School (604 students), and Bruceton School (603 students). See the Preston County Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.