Education in West Virginia
Formal public school Education in West
Virginia falls under the auspices of the West
Virginia Department of Education. Each
county in West Virginia constitutes a school
district.
Education
Administration
West Virginia Board of
Education
The West Virginia Board of Education is
established in the West Virginia Constitution.
The Board is vested with general supervision
of West Virginia’s 834 elementary and sec-
ondary schools. Its twelve members include
nine citizens appointed by the governor and
three non-voting ex-officio members:
the
State Superintendent of Schools, the Chan-
cellor of the West Virginia Higher Education
Policy Commission, and the Chancellor of
Community and Technical Education. The
State Superintendent is a constitutional of-
ficer who serves at the will of the board.
Board members serve overlapping terms of
nine years, and no more than five citizen
members may belong to the same political
party.
The West Virginia Board of Education
meets monthly to determine the educational
policies of the elementary and secondary
schools and to establish the rules that carry
into effect state law regarding education. The
State Board of Education also has general
control, supervision, and management of the
business and educational affairs of the West
Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind in
Romney.
County Boards of Education
For each K-12 school district there is a board
of education with at least five members
whom are chosen by election in non-partisan
races. Though no more than two members
may reside in the same magisterial district,
members are elected by residents of the en-
tire county.[1] Active teachers and service
personnel are not eligible for election to the
county Board of Education.[2] Members are
elected to four-year terms in which the elec-
tion occurs during the regular primary elec-
tion in even years.[3]
In addition to the Boards of Education,
each district also has an appointed Superin-
tendent. He/she typically serves as the Exec-
utive Officer of the county school