The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in English language arts. The lowest is 26% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Crum Pre K-8 School
Crum Pre K-8 School sits at the center of a small, unincorporated Wayne County community along the Tug Fork river and U.S. Route 52. It is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, part of Wayne County Schools, and it is the community's primary civic institution. The town has no downtown, no municipal government, and no significant commercial district. Churches and the school are the main anchors of local life. The broader Huntington-Ashland metropolitan area provides regional employment access, but within Crum itself the school system is the documented employer of note. The Norfolk Southern Railway passes through, but no rail-related employment facilities are listed locally.
The community is rural and car-dependent. Homes scatter along roads and hollows, and the housing stock is small, mostly owner-occupied, with modest home values. The population has been declining, and no major new residential developments are documented. A short section of the future King Coal Highway has been built just east of Crum, but the project remains incomplete, so its eventual effect on growth is uncertain. For a family considering this area, the housing market is limited in scale and the setting is quiet and isolated compared to the nearby Huntington metro core.
The school serves a small enrollment spread across pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The student body is almost entirely white, with a very small number of students identifying as two or more races or American Indian and Alaska Native. Data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was not available, and information on students with individualized education programs and English learners was also missing. Without these figures, it is hard to characterize the full economic and support landscape of the student population from the available data alone.
State assessment results from the most recent year tell a mixed story. In English language arts, the school shows solid performance across most tested grades. Third through seventh grade results generally sit at or above what many would consider a healthy proficiency level, with fifth and sixth grade standing out as particular strengths. Eighth grade dips lower, which may reflect the transition challenges common in the final year before high school. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what supports are in place for older middle-grade readers.
Math results follow a similar arc but with wider swings. The sixth grade produced a strong proficiency rate, among the best in the school's results. Third and fourth grade landed in a moderate range, and fifth and seventh grade were close behind. Eighth grade math proficiency was notably lower, again pointing to the middle-school-to-high-school transition as an area where students may need additional attention. The pattern of weaker eighth grade results in both math and English language arts is worth a conversation with school staff.
Science results were available for only two grades, fifth and eighth, and both were low. Only about a quarter of tested students reached proficiency in each. This is a soft spot a family should ask about directly, since the school's science instruction and assessment preparation may benefit from closer examination.
No multi-year trend data was available for comparison, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability over time. The assessment framework itself did not change, so the single year of results stands on its own. Participation was high across nearly every grade and subject, which means the results reflect the school's full tested population rather than a skewed subset.
Because Crum Pre K-8 does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and no Advanced Placement, dual-credit, or career pathway data to draw on. No course access, staffing, discipline, or attendance data was provided. The school's program offerings were not available in the data, so families would need to contact Wayne County Schools directly for details on extracurriculars, interventions, or specialized programs.
What the available picture does show is a small, rural school serving a tight-knit, predominantly white community with solid literacy instruction in the elementary and early middle grades, a bright spot in sixth grade math, and clear challenges in science and in eighth grade readiness. Families drawn to a quiet, rural setting with a single school campus where their child can stay from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade may find the continuity appealing. Those who want stronger evidence of upper-grade preparation and science outcomes should ask direct questions before enrolling.
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