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Ritchie County Schools, West Virginia, elections

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Ritchie County Schools
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District details
School board members: 5
Students: 1,159 (2023-2024)
Schools: 5 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Ritchie County Schools is a school district in West Virginia (Ritchie County). During the 2024 school year, 1,159 students attended one of the district's five schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Elections

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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board general elections in West Virginia are held on the date of the statewide primary election on the second Tuesday in May every two years in even-numbered years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-6Section 3-5-1, and Section 18-5-1b

Recent or upcoming election dates for all public school districts in the state

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all public school districts in the state. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: January 31, 2026
  • General election date: May 12, 2026

Election system

School board members in West Virginia are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-6 and Section 3-5-1

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in West Virginia are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. West Virginia Code says that school board members must be "nominated and elected by the voters of the respective county without reference to political party affiliation."

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 18-5-1

Winning an election

In West Virginia, the school board candidate that receives the most votes is elected to office provided the requirement that "no more than two school board members can be elected from the same county magisterial district" is met.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-6, Section 3-5-1, and Section 18-5-1b

Term length and staggering

School board members in West Virginia have four-year regular terms.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-6

West Virginia Code does not require specific election staggering for school board members. In most districts, however, as close to half of board seats as possible are up for regular election every two years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-6, Section 3-5-1, and Section 18-5-1b

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

West Virginia Code does not say whether school board members must be elected at-large or by sub-district. It does state that no more than two school board members can be elected from the same county magisterial district. Each county is divided into at least three and no more than 10 magisterial sub-districts. As of 2023, six school districts in West Virginia elected board members by sub-district and the other districts elected board members at large.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 18-5-1

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

The deadline in West Virginia for school board candidates to file certificates of announcement declaring candidacy is on the last Saturday in January in the same year as the election (even-numbered years). The filing must be received or postmarked before midnight on the day of the deadline. Certificates of announcement must be sword statements before public notaries and must contain the election date, the office sought, the legal name and ballot name of the candidate, the candidate's residential address, and a good faith statement.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-7

School board candidates in West Virginia can begin filing certificates of announcement when the filing window opens on the second Monday in January in the same years as the election (even-numbered years).

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-7

Newly elected school board members in West Virginia officially take office on July 1 following their election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: West Virginia Code Section 3-5-6 and Section 3-5-1

 


About the district

School board

Ritchie County Schools consists of five members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameYear assumed officeYear term ends
Torie Jackson2028
Jason Hall20242028
Misty Ingram-Keen2026
Denny Nelson2026
Ryan Reed2026

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District map

Overlapping state house districts

Ritchie County Schools
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
West Virginia House of Delegates District 9Trenton BarnhartRepublican Party 100% 62%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $3,979,000 $3,181 16%
Local: $15,343,000 $12,265 60%
State: $6,284,000 $5,023 24%
Total: $25,606,000 $20,468
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $22,134,000 $17,693
Total Current Expenditures: $19,436,000 $15,536
Instructional Expenditures: $10,208,000 $8,159 46%
Student and Staff Support: $2,345,000 $1,874 11%
Administration: $1,929,000 $1,541 9%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $4,954,000 $3,960 22%
Total Capital Outlay: $2,476,000 $1,979
Construction: $367,000 $293
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $105,000 $83
Interest on Debt: $0 $0

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 31 PS PS PS PS 30
2018-2019 42 PS PS PS 41
2017-2018 40 PS PS PS 40
2016-2017 33 PS PS PS 34
2015-2016 32 PS PS PS PS 31
2014-2015 29 PS PS PS PS PS 29
2013-2014 37 PS <50 PS PS PS 38
2012-2013 38 PS PS PS PS PS 39
2011-2012 39 PS PS PS PS 39
2010-2011 46 PS PS PS PS 47

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 40 PS PS PS PS 39
2018-2019 46 PS PS PS 46
2017-2018 45 PS PS PS 45
2016-2017 45 PS PS PS 46
2015-2016 50 PS PS PS PS 50
2014-2015 47 PS PS PS PS PS 48
2013-2014 41 PS <50 PS PS PS 41
2012-2013 44 PS PS PS PS PS 45
2011-2012 44 PS PS PS PS 44
2010-2011 45 PS PS PS PS 45

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 85-89 85-89
2018-2019 90-94 PS 90-94
2017-2018 90-94 PS PS 90-94
2016-2017 85-89 PS PS 85-89
2015-2016 90-94 PS 90-94
2014-2015 90-94 PS PS 90-94
2013-2014 85-89 PS PS PS 85-89
2012-2013 80-84 PS PS 80-84
2011-2012 80-84 PS PS 80-84
2010-2011 80-84 PS 80-84

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 1,159 -7.2
2022-2023 1,243 -0.6
2021-2022 1,251 -3.6
2020-2021 1,296 -3.5
2019-2020 1,341 -1.2
2018-2019 1,357 -7.5
2017-2018 1,459 1.0
2016-2017 1,444 -3.0
2015-2016 1,488 -0.8
2014-2015 1,500 -1.1
2013-2014 1,516 -2.2
2012-2013 1,549 0.3
2011-2012 1,544 -2.2
2010-2011 1,578 -3.0
2009-2010 1,626 2.3
2008-2009 1,589 -0.5
2007-2008 1,597 -0.9
2006-2007 1,611 0.2
2005-2006 1,607 2.9
2004-2005 1,561 -5.7
2003-2004 1,650 -2.2
2002-2003 1,687 -3.0
2001-2002 1,738 -0.8
2000-2001 1,752 -2.0
1999-2000 1,787 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Ritchie County Schools (%) West Virginia K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.1 0.1
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 0.4 0.7
Black 0.4 4.2
Hispanic 1.0 2.4
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.0 0.1
Two or More Races 0.7 4.5
White 97.5 88.1

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Ritchie County Schools had 104.00 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 11.14.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 5.00
Kindergarten: 5.00
Elementary: 41.00
Secondary: 53.00
Total: 104.00

Ritchie County Schools employed 6.50 district administrators and 7.00 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 6.50
District Administrative Support: 8.00
School Administrators: 7.00
School Administrative Support: 5.00
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 24.00
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 2.00
Total Guidance Counselors: 3.00
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 1.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 2.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 0.00
Library/Media Support: 0.00
Student Support Services: 13.50
Other Support Services: 47.00

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

Ritchie County Schools operates five schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Creed Collins Elementary204PK-4
Harrisville Elementary211PK-4
Ritchie County High School3489-12
Ritchie County Middle3025-8
Smithville Elementary94PK-4


About school boards

Education legislation in West Virginia

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics West Virginia
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External links

  • Office website
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  • Footnotes