Best Public Schools in Princeton, WV

Summary:

The city of Princeton, West Virginia is home to 11 schools serving students from elementary through high school, all part of the Mercer County Schools district. The data reveals a mix of high-performing and improving schools, with Glenwood School (K-8) and Melrose Elementary School standing out as top-ranked elementary schools in the state. While the district's schools generally excel in English language arts, there is a consistent gap in math performance that needs to be addressed.

Across the 11 schools, racial diversity varies, with some schools like Pikeview High School and Pikeview Middle School having student populations that are over 95% white, while others like Princeton Middle School and Silver Springs Early Learning Center are more diverse. However, this diversity does not necessarily correlate with academic performance. Spending per student also varies widely, from $9,531 at Melrose Elementary to $13,545 at Oakvale School, with no clear link between spending and outcomes.

Overall, the Princeton schools demonstrate a mix of strengths and areas for improvement. While some schools like Glenwood and Melrose are standouts, the district as a whole needs to focus on closing the math performance gap and ensuring equitable resources and outcomes across all its schools.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				WV Assessment Mathematics (2024)							WV Assessment English Language Arts (2024)							WV Assessment Science (2024)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WV Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	WV Assessment Mathematics 11th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 3rd Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 4th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 5th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 6th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 7th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 8th Grade	WV Assessment English Language Arts 11th Grade	WV Assessment Science 5th Grade	WV Assessment Science 8th Grade	WV Assessment Science 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Glenwood School (K-8)	Public	K-8	1734 Glenwood Park Rd	Princeton	24739	Mercer County	Mercer County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 425-5970	620	46	13.5		557 (89.8%)	22 (3.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.1%)	62	117^th of 368 public elementary schools	68.2%		65.7	105^th of 368 public elementary schools	71.5%	12	66.2	56.4	32.0	42.2	38.0	62.7		54.4	60.0	44.0	51.8	62.0	66.1		24.0	37.3		$11,065	$1,147	$9,919
Melrose Elementary School	Public	K-5	2121 Athens Rd	Princeton	24739	Mercer County	Mercer County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 425-3757	241	15	16.0		217 (90.0%)	4 (1.7%)	3 (1.2%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.2%)	81.8	46^th of 368 public elementary schools	87.5%		72.1	76^th of 368 public elementary schools	79.3%	30	76.9	48.0	80.0					74.4	54.0	56.7					50.0			$9,531	$912	$8,619
Mercer Elementary	Public	3-5	1200 Mercer St	Princeton	24740	Mercer County	Mercer County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 425-3160	258	22	12.0		206 (79.8%)	17 (6.6%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (12.0%)	52.9	162^nd of 368 public elementary schools	56.0%		42.3	217^th of 368 public elementary schools	41.0%	55	50.0	41.0	38.5					45.1	47.4	51.7					42.2			$11,916	$1,892	$10,024
Silver Springs Early Learning Center	Public	PK	731 Cove Street	Princeton	24740	Mercer County	Mercer County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 425-4251	380	7	54.2		281 (73.9%)	49 (12.9%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (11.6%)								(n/a)																		$11,063	$1,449	$9,613
Princeton Primary School	Public	K-2	180 Tiger Dr	Princeton	24739	Mercer County	Mercer County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 487-3904	475	35	13.5		367 (77.3%)	37 (7.8%)	4 (0.8%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (13.3%)								(n/a)																		$11,742	$1,705	$10,037
Straley Elementary School	Public	3-5	810 Straley Ave	Princeton	24740	Mercer County	Mercer County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 425-3173	171	16	11.0		124 (72.5%)	16 (9.4%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (17.0%)	41	232^nd of 368 public elementary schools	37.0%		42.9	212^th of 368 public elementary schools	42.4%	20	56.7	46.7	36.1					33.3	40.0	36.1					32.8			$12,460	$2,288	$10,172
Mercer County Technical Education Center	Public	9-12	1397 Stafford Dr	Princeton	24740	Mercer County	Mercer County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 425-9551	0	22	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Princeton Senior High School	Public	9-12	1321 Stafford Dr	Princeton	24740	Mercer County	Mercer County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 425-8101	967	55	17.5		809 (83.7%)	69 (7.1%)	15 (1.6%)	6 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (6.9%)	57.4	44^th of 112 public high schools	60.7%		36.4	70^th of 112 public high schools	37.5%	26							27.5							45.1			22.3	$10,088	$978	$9,110
Princeton Middle School	Public	6-8	300 N Johnston St	Princeton	24740	Mercer County	Mercer County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 425-7517	506	45	11.2		409 (80.8%)	34 (6.7%)	9 (1.8%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (10.1%)	35.6	113^th of 169 public middle schools	33.1%		36.1	113^th of 168 public middle schools	32.7%					14.9	25.6	24.5					31.2	38.1	40.7			25.3		$12,746	$1,250	$11,496
Pikeview High School	Public	9-12	3566 Eads Mill Rd	Princeton	24739	Mercer County	Mercer County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 384-7586	610	33	18.4		579 (94.9%)	6 (1.0%)	12 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.1%)	55.5	47^th of 112 public high schools	58.0%		37	68^th of 112 public high schools	39.3%	21							19.7							47.9			23.9	$11,216	$1,150	$10,065
Pikeview Middle School	Public	6-8	3550 Eads Mill Rd	Princeton	24739	Mercer County	Mercer County Schools	No	No	No	No	(304) 384-3600	517	34	15.0		485 (93.8%)	5 (1.0%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.1%)	62.6	45^th of 169 public middle schools	73.4%		52.6	72^nd of 168 public middle schools	57.1%	27				38.1	37.6	32.3					44.9	48.6	43.9			24.5		$10,969	$1,002	$9,967
Oakvale School	Public	PK, KG-5	2503 Goodwins Chapel Rd	Princeton	24739	Mercer County	Mercer County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(304) 898-2541	186	16	12.0		165 (88.7%)	2 (1.1%)	8 (4.3%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.8%)	53.8	159^th of 368 public elementary schools	56.8%		40.5	232^nd of 368 public elementary schools	37.0%	73	48.2	33.3	51.5					40.7	38.9	69.7					42.4			$13,545	$1,834	$11,711

Cities Near Princeton

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Athens	6.88 mi	1	7^th
Bluefield	9.78 mi	7	186^th
Peterstown	10.73 mi	2	212^th
Lerona	10.84 mi	1	110^th
Spanishburg	11.32 mi	1	231^st

See the top WV West Virginia cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the West Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.