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West Virginia reported a loss of more than 8,200 public school students, a 3.5% decline, with every county experiencing some enrollment loss. School officials cite population decline and families choosing alternatives such as private school, homeschooling and the Hope Scholarship, but state officials say the available data do not establish how much each factor contributed.
West Virginia public schools lost more than 8,200 students, a 3.5% decline, according to enrollment figures announced by the state Department of Education, as superintendents point to population loss and families choosing alternatives that include the Hope Scholarship. Every county reported some enrollment decline, though the state said a few charter schools gained students.
Roane County had the steepest reported drop: enrollment fell 14%, about three times the decline the county typically sees in a year. Superintendent Michelle Stellato said the district had anticipated a sharp loss after closing two elementary schools. Of the 230 students who left the system, she said, 100 had taken the Hope Scholarship.
Georgia Hughes-Webb, the state Department of Education’s director of data management, said population change alone does not explain the statewide figures. She cited Census statistics showing a 4.6% decline in school-age children from 2020 to 2025, compared with a 7.9% drop in public school enrollment over the same period. She said families choosing nonpublic education could be among the other factors, while cautioning that the state lacks enough data to determine the full explanation.
The pattern varies by county. Calhoun County, with fewer than 6,000 residents, lost 59 students, or 7% of its school population. Harrison County lost 397 students. Berkeley County, where overall population grew 14% from 2020 to 2025, nevertheless lost nearly 400 public school students. District leaders there cited changes in birth rates and age patterns, along with homeschooling, private and charter schools, and the Hope Scholarship.
Enrollment Loss Pressures Local Districts
The decline matters because districts must plan staffing, school operations and budgets around the number of students they serve. In places already facing falling enrollment, continued losses may compound the effects of school closures and make it harder to maintain services across rural communities. The supplied report says Berkeley County’s superintendent identified financial effects as a concern, but does not provide a specific statewide estimate of the budget impact.
The figures also complicate efforts to identify why enrollment is falling. A district’s total can shrink when fewer children live nearby, when families select alternatives, or when graduating classes outnumber incoming students. Those factors can overlap, and the current information does not assign a precise share of the statewide loss to any one cause.
For families, the changes affect the range and location of available public education services as districts respond to smaller student populations. The report describes school closures and growing competition from other education options, but does not establish what future changes districts will make in response to the new statewide figures.
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Hope Scholarship Participation and Eligibility
The Hope Scholarship allows families to use public funds for eligible education expenses outside the public school system. The program’s participation has grown: State Treasurer Larry Pack, who oversees it, announced earlier this year that more than 26,000 students had applied, an increase of 11,000 from the year before. Those application figures do not show that all applicants left public schools.
The 2026-27 academic year is the first in which students already attending private school or homeschooling could apply, according to the report. That change means growth in scholarship participation cannot be treated as a direct count of public school departures. The latest cited annual county report on Hope Scholarship use covers the 2024-25 school year.
Local circumstances also differ. Roane’s school closures accompanied its unusually steep decline, while Lewis County officials cited a large graduating class, homeschool participation and the Hope Scholarship after a summer flood damaged a school. In Berkeley County, population growth did not prevent enrollment loss, illustrating why population totals alone may not predict public school counts.
“I think parents recognize that they have options when we are closing schools and they exercise their right to use those options.”
— Michelle Stellato, superintendent of Roane County Schools
How Much Each Factor Contributes
The available figures do not establish what portion of the statewide enrollment decline is caused by demographic change, the Hope Scholarship, homeschooling, private or charter schools, or other factors. Hughes-Webb said the department does not yet have all the data needed to answer that question. Scholarship applications also include students who may already have been outside the public system, particularly under the expanded eligibility for 2026-27.
The source material does not provide a full county-by-county breakdown of enrollment changes, a statewide count of students moving to each alternative, or a forecast of how many students will remain enrolled in coming years. Pack disputes the claim that scholarship growth explains the broader decline, while several local officials describe it as one contributing factor. Those accounts are not a statewide measurement of causation.
More Data Needed on Student Choices
The next steps depend on additional enrollment and participation data that can distinguish population trends from changes in where families educate their children. The state has not, in the supplied report, announced a date for a fuller analysis or a specific policy response. Districts are likely to continue tracking local enrollment as they make decisions about schools and services, but the report does not specify planned actions in each county.
Readers should watch for subsequent state enrollment releases and annual Hope Scholarship reports, especially information showing whether scholarship recipients previously attended public school. Such figures would help clarify how much of the decline reflects students leaving the public system and how much reflects eligibility among students already in private school or homeschool.
Key Questions
How many students did West Virginia public schools lose?
The state Department of Education reported more than 8,200 fewer students, a 3.5% decline in the public school population. Every county recorded some loss, although a few charter schools gained students.
What is the Hope Scholarship?
It is a program that lets families use public funds for eligible education outside the public school system. The report says eligibility expands for the 2026-27 academic year to include students already attending private school or homeschooling.
Did the Hope Scholarship cause the statewide enrollment decline?
The available information does not establish that. Some local school officials cite the scholarship as one factor, while state Treasurer Larry Pack disputes that it accounts for the broader decline. State education officials say they lack enough data to measure each cause.
Which county had the sharpest enrollment drop?
Roane County reported the steepest decline, at 14%. Superintendent Michelle Stellato said 100 of the 230 students who left the district had taken the Hope Scholarship, and noted that the county had closed two elementary schools.
Source: rss
