Can I use Clay County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Clay County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Clay County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Clay County?

Start with the 6 listed public schools and 1 district entry, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Clay County Schools & Education

Name: Clay County, West Virginia Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Clay County, West Virginia

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

78/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Higher Signal

Graduation Rate

97.0%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

97.0%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 92.8%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,801

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,773

School Score

78/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 62/100

State Score Position

#12

of 55 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Clay County

Measured School Summary

Clay County has a higher measured school signal with a school score of 78/100 and a graduation rate of 97.0%, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-score inputs.

Funding Context

At $7,801 per pupil, Clay County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 26% above the West Virginia average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 4.2 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 0% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Clay County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

6 public schools and 1 district are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

78/100

Higher measured signal. Ranks #12 of 55 West Virginia counties with school score data.

Completion

97.0%

4.2 pts above the state average

Funding context

$7,801

roughly matches the state average

School coverage

1 district represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county screens well on the combined school metrics available here. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Clay County has 6 public schools across 1 district, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Clay County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Small-system county

Clay County has a compact public-school footprint. A single school change, boundary rule, or district update can move the lived experience more than the county score suggests.

State position

#12

of 55 West Virginia counties with school score data. The county score is 16 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS

Elementary to high school visible

1,632 students

Elementary 4Middle 1High 1Other 0

6 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS is the largest listed district slice, with 6 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Clay County?

Which attendance zones, transfer rules, and transportation policies apply inside the local district?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Education Overview

About Schools in Clay County, West Virginia

This context is screened for neutral school-data wording and should be read alongside the current metrics on this page. It is not school advice.

Clay County's Rural Learning Framework

Clay County manages 6 public schools, including 4 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school. This focused network provides education for 1,632 students within a single school district.

The Heart of Clay County Schools

Clay County Schools is the sole administrator for the county's 1,632 students across 6 campuses. The district operates entirely through traditional public schools, with no charter schools present in the county.

A Purely Rural School Experience

The county's schools are 100% rural, fostering a small-town atmosphere with an average size of 272 students. Clay County High School is the largest at 533 students, while Lizemore Elementary offers a very small, personal learning environment.

School Overview

Total Schools

in Clay County

Reported Enrollment

1,632

6 schools reporting

School Districts

district

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary4

Middle1

High1

Other0

1 School District in Clay County

CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS

6 schools

1,632 students enrolled

6 Public Schools in Clay County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 6 of 6 matching schools

Public schools in Clay County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
CLAY COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL	Record	CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS	CLAY, 25043Rural: Distant	9–12	High	533
CLAY MIDDLE SCHOOL	Record	CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS	CLAY, 25043Rural: Distant	6–8	Middle	413
CLAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS	CLAY, 25043Rural: Distant	PK–5	Primary	314
BIG OTTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS	DUCK, 25063Rural: Distant	PK–5	Primary	196
LIZEMORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS	LIZEMORE, 25125Rural: Distant	PK–5	Primary	105
H E WHITE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	Record	CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS	BOMONT, 25030Rural: Distant	PK–5	Primary	71

CLAY COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL

CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS

CLAY, 25043 / Rural: Distant

Record9–12High533 students

CLAY MIDDLE SCHOOL

CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS

CLAY, 25043 / Rural: Distant

Record6–8Middle413 students

CLAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS

CLAY, 25043 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary314 students

BIG OTTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS

DUCK, 25063 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary196 students

LIZEMORE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS

LIZEMORE, 25125 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary105 students

H E WHITE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS

BOMONT, 25030 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary71 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,801

State avg $7,773

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Clay County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which West Virginia counties have the highest graduation rates?

Harrison County (98.0%), Ohio County (98.0%), and Putnam County (98.0%) currently lead West Virginia among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in West Virginia?

Across West Virginia counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $7,773. The highest current county values are Doddridge County ($12,943), Wetzel County ($11,343), and Tyler County ($10,519). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Clay County?

Clay County has a school score of 78/100, which is a higher measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Clay County?

The high school graduation rate in Clay County is 97.0%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Clay County spend per student?

Clay County spends $7,801 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in Clay County, West Virginia — FAQ

What does the school system look like in Clay County, West Virginia?

Clay County manages 6 public schools, including 4 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school. This focused network provides education for 1,632 students within a single school district.

What are the major school districts in Clay County, West Virginia?

What is the school experience like in Clay County?

Counties with Similar School Profile

Pleasants County

West Virginia

-1 pts

78/100

School score

Tyler County

West Virginia

+1 pts

79/100

School score

Brooke County

West Virginia

+1 pts

79/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 13, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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