The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on West Virginia Virtual Academy
West Virginia Virtual Academy is a full-time online public school district serving students across the state from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. It operates as a single-school district, meaning every enrolled student is part of the same virtual program regardless of where in West Virginia they live. There is no physical campus tied to a particular town, and the enrollment draws from families statewide who have chosen remote instruction over their local brick-and-mortar schools.
The school recently completed a grade-span expansion. Publicly reported information indicates that West Virginia Virtual Academy added twelfth grade for the 2024-2025 school year, having previously served only through tenth or eleventh grade. This means students can now finish their entire secondary education through the academy and graduate with a West Virginia diploma, which matters for families who previously had to find another option for their child's final high school year or two. The current enrollment data shows no twelfth-grade students yet, which may reflect the timing of the expansion or families still transitioning.
State assessment results from the 2024-2025 school year are available for grades three through eight in math and English language arts, and for grades five and eight in science. These are results from the West Virginia General Summative Assessment. In math, proficiency rates across the tested grades sit in a moderate range, with third grade showing the strongest result and most other grades landing below that level. English language arts results show a similar pattern, with middle-grade performance, particularly in sixth and seventh grade, coming in higher than the elementary grades. Science results are available for two grade levels and land in a lower range than the other subjects. Participation rates are near or at full across all tested grades and subjects, which is worth noting for a virtual setting where test logistics can be a challenge. No high school-level state assessment data, graduation rate, or college-readiness metrics appear in the available data, so a parent looking for information about upper-grade academic outcomes would need to ask the school directly.
The student body is predominantly white, with small representations of Black, Hispanic, multiracial, Asian, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. Enrollment is distributed across all grade levels, with the largest concentrations in the upper middle school and early high school grades. Economic disadvantage data, measured through free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, was not reported, nor were rates for students with individualized education programs or English learners. A parent whose child receives special education services or English language support may want to ask the school how those services are delivered in a virtual format.
Several categories of information that help a family evaluate a school are absent here. There is no locale or community context, since the school has no geographic footprint. No housing market data applies, because enrollment is not tied to a residential attendance zone. No staffing, discipline, attendance, or course-access data was provided. No program offerings, such as Advanced Placement, career and technical education, or dual-credit courses, appear in the data, though a family considering this option for high school would want to inquire about what college-preparatory or elective courses are available online. No comparison data positioning this district against neighboring West Virginia districts was included, which makes sense given that a statewide virtual academy does not belong to a local county-based peer set in the usual way.
What the data does support is a clear picture of a growing statewide online option that has recently rounded out its grade span to serve students through graduation. Its elementary and middle-grade assessment results show a school where a portion of students reach proficiency in core subjects, with relative strength in upper-elementary and middle-grade English language arts and relatively lower science results. For a family considering full-time virtual education in West Virginia, the open questions are about high school academics, specialized services, and course variety, and those are best taken directly to the school.
See more original research from School Decision →