Best traditional public schools in Charleston (2025)

District-run public schools. Ranked by the Success Index (US) from official American data; 25 schools in Charleston, West Virginia. Rank positions shown on each profile are within United States and West Virginia.

1
76
Kenna Elementary SchoolCharleston · Public Elementary82% Math proficiency · 180 students
2
71
Cross Lanes Elementary SchoolCharleston · Public Elementary62% Math proficiency · 294 students
3
70
Holz Elementary SchoolCharleston · Public Elementary77% Math proficiency · 304 students
4
70
Montrose Elementary SchoolCharleston · Public Elementary67% Math proficiency · 224 students
5
68
Weberwood Elementary SchoolCharleston · Public Elementary67% Math proficiency · 247 students
6
66
Overbrook Elementary SchoolCharleston · Public Elementary72% Math proficiency · 375 students
7
65
Ruthlawn Elementary SchoolCharleston · Public Elementary57% Math proficiency · 225 students
8
64
Shoals Elementary SchoolCharleston · Public Elementary57% Math proficiency · 191 students
9
62
Chamberlain Elementary SchoolCharleston · Public Elementary62% Math proficiency · 225 students
10
61
John Adams Middle SchoolCharleston · Public Middle62% Math proficiency · 740 students
11
60
Elk Elementary CenterCharleston · Public Elementary53% Math proficiency · 475 students
12
54
Horace Mann Middle SchoolCharleston · Public Middle46% Math proficiency · 385 students
13
54
Kanawha City Elementary SchoolCharleston · Public Elementary47% Math proficiency · 242 students
14
51
Ruffner Elementary SchoolCharleston · Public Elementary47% Math proficiency · 271 students
15
47
Flinn Elementary SchoolCharleston · Public Elementary47% Math proficiency · 430 students
16
45
Piedmont Year-Round EducationCharleston · Public Elementary32% Math proficiency · 279 students
17
45
George Washington High SchoolCharleston · Public High48% Math proficiency · 1,145 students
18
44
Sissonville Middle SchoolCharleston · Public Middle43% Math proficiency · 521 students
19
43
Andrew Jackson Middle SchoolCharleston · Public Middle39% Math proficiency · 488 students
20
40
Malden Elementary SchoolCharleston · Public Elementary32% Math proficiency · 160 students
21
39
Edgewood ElementaryCharleston · Public Elementary27% Math proficiency · 413 students
22
34
Mary C. Snow West Side ElementaryCharleston · Public Elementary27% Math proficiency · 453 students
23
30
West Side Middle SchoolCharleston · Public Middle16% Math proficiency · 374 students
24
26
Sissonville High SchoolCharleston · Public High17% Math proficiency · 564 students
25
25
Capital High SchoolCharleston · Public High24% Math proficiency · 1,051 students

#	School	Sector	Success Index (US)	Key result	Students
1	Kenna Elementary School Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	76.1 Top 25%	82% Math proficiency	180
2	Cross Lanes Elementary School Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	70.9 Top 25%	62% Math proficiency	294
3	Holz Elementary School Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	70.0 Top 25%	77% Math proficiency	304
4	Montrose Elementary School Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	69.7 Top 25%	67% Math proficiency	224
5	Weberwood Elementary School Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	68.0 Top 50%	67% Math proficiency	247
6	Overbrook Elementary School Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	66.4 Top 50%	72% Math proficiency	375
7	Ruthlawn Elementary School Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	65.4 Top 50%	57% Math proficiency	225
8	Shoals Elementary School Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	63.7 Top 50%	57% Math proficiency	191
9	Chamberlain Elementary School Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	61.9 Top 50%	62% Math proficiency	225
10	John Adams Middle School Charleston · Middle · Grades 6–8	Public	61.4 Top 50%	62% Math proficiency	740
11	Elk Elementary Center Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	59.9 Top 50%	53% Math proficiency	475
12	Horace Mann Middle School Charleston · Middle · Grades 6–8	Public	54.3 Top 50%	46% Math proficiency	385
13	Kanawha City Elementary School Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	53.8 Top 50%	47% Math proficiency	242
14	Ruffner Elementary School Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	51.2 Top 50%	47% Math proficiency	271
15	Flinn Elementary School Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–4	Public	47.0 Lower 50%	47% Math proficiency	430
16	Piedmont Year-Round Education Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	45.4 Lower 50%	32% Math proficiency	279
17	George Washington High School Charleston · High · Grades 9–12	Public	44.7 Lower 50%	48% Math proficiency	1,145
18	Sissonville Middle School Charleston · Middle · Grades 5–8	Public	43.7 Lower 50%	43% Math proficiency	521
19	Andrew Jackson Middle School Charleston · Middle · Grades 6–8	Public	43.0 Lower 50%	39% Math proficiency	488
20	Malden Elementary School Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	40.0 Lower 50%	32% Math proficiency	160
21	Edgewood Elementary Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	39.2 Lower 50%	27% Math proficiency	413
22	Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary Charleston · Elementary · Grades PK–5	Public	34.2 Lower 50%	27% Math proficiency	453
23	West Side Middle School Charleston · Middle · Grades 6–8	Public	30.4 Lower 50%	16% Math proficiency	374
24	Sissonville High School Charleston · High · Grades 9–12	Public	26.0 Lower 50%	17% Math proficiency	564
25	Capital High School Charleston · High · Grades 9–12	Public	25.2 Lower 50%	24% Math proficiency	1,051

Kenna Elementary School in Charleston leads the 2025 list of traditional public schools in Charleston with a Success Index (US) of 76.1. Of the 25 schools shown, 25 are public.

For the full picture see the wider West Virginia traditional public schools rankings, every school on the Charleston page, or the comparison tool to put a shortlist side by side.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best public school in Charleston?

Kenna Elementary School in Charleston, West Virginia ranks first among traditional public schools in Charleston with a Success Index (US) of 76.1 out of 100 (Enrollment: 180).

How are traditional public schools in Charleston ranked?

Each school's Success Index (US) combines 4 factors: math proficiency (30%), reading proficiency (30%), community advantage (fewer free/reduced-price lunch) (25%), students per teacher (15%). Each factor is a percentile against schools of the same type across United States. Schools with fewer than 60 students are excluded from rankings.

Are these 2025 rankings official?

No. They are computed by Success Tutoring from official American data (Urban Institute Education Data Portal (NCES CCD, EDFacts); NCES Common Core of Data). States set their own assessments and proficiency cut scores, so proficiency rates are most comparable within a state. Use the state rankings for like-for-like comparisons.