The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in English language arts. The lowest is 28% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Sherman Junior High School
Sherman Junior High School sits on Coal River Road in Seth, a small unincorporated coal town in Boone County, West Virginia. The school serves grades six through eight and operates as a regular public school within the Boone County Schools district. Seth itself is a rural community with no commercial downtown, no walkable core, and very little civic infrastructure beyond a post office and churches. Residents are car-dependent, with Madison, the county seat, roughly eleven miles to the west. The area's identity is tied to coal mining, though active operations have faded, and Boone County has seen population decline as that industry has contracted. For a family considering this school, the setting is quiet, spread-out, and rooted in a community that has seen better economic days.
The school's enrollment is small for a three-grade middle school, with each grade cohort close to the others in size. The student body is almost entirely white, with only a single student identified as two or more races and no students reported in any other racial or ethnic category. That degree of homogeneity reflects the surrounding community more than any district policy choice. Data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was not available, nor were figures for students with individualized education programs or English learners, so the economic and special-population picture is incomplete from what we have.
On state assessments, the most recent results tell a mixed story that shifts depending on the subject and grade. In English language arts, Sherman performs reasonably well. Sixth-grade ELA proficiency is the school's strongest result, with a solid majority of tested students reaching proficiency. Seventh and eighth grade ELA dip from there but remain in a middling range, with roughly half of students proficient. Participation was full or nearly full across all tested grades and subjects, which gives these results a reliable foundation.
Math is a different picture. Sixth-grade math starts at a moderate level, with close to half of students proficient. By seventh grade, that share drops sharply, and by eighth grade it falls further to a level where only a small minority of students are proficient. This decline from sixth through eighth grade is the most concerning pattern in the data, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking how math instruction and support change as students move through the upper grades. Science, tested only in eighth grade, also came in low, with under a third of students proficient.
No multi-year trend data was available beyond the current year for comparison, so it is unclear whether these results represent a recent dip or a longer-standing pattern. The school does not serve grades three through five, so no state testing results exist for those earlier grades, which is expected given the grade band.
Housing in the area is very inexpensive by both state and national standards, with typical home values well below the West Virginia statewide benchmark and far below national figures. Values have been declining recently, which tracks with the broader economic pressure on coal-dependent communities. For families already in the area, this means housing is accessible. For families considering moving in, it reflects a market with limited demand and few local employment options, since Seth has almost no commercial base and residents who work likely commute to Madison or Charleston.
Several categories of information were missing from what was available. No data on discipline, course access, staffing ratios, attendance, or program offerings was provided. No neighbor comparison was available to position Sherman against other Boone County schools. The district brief turned up little on recent changes or strategic priorities in Boone County Schools, so there is no documented district-level initiative to frame the school's direction. Title I status was also not reported.
What the available evidence shows is a small, rural middle school serving a close-knit, economically pressed community, with English language arts as a relative bright spot and a math trajectory that weakens as students move toward high school. Families looking at Sherman would be choosing a school where class cohorts are small, the peer environment is tight and local, and the surrounding community is quiet and affordable but limited in opportunity. The math results are the clearest question mark, and the one area where direct conversation with the school would be most useful.
See more original research from School Decision →