When looking for a school in Upshur county there are several that you can choose from. Choosing a school is very important because the school is going to provide your child with the education needed to succeed when he/she grows up. Before you even begin to look at the schools its important to ask yourself a few questions.
What grade will my child be going into?
This is may sound like a simple and pointless question, but your answer will play a very important roll in your child’s future in the Upshur County area. You need to remember that in any area there are numerous types of schools. There are Preschools, Elementary schools, Middle schools, High schools, even schools that are a mix of any number of the ones I just mentioned. It would not make sense to do all the research on a school just to find out your child can not attend because they do not offer educational services at that grade level.
How Long will my child be attending school in the area?
If you are planning on moving in the next couple years this may significantly change what you choose to do when choosing a school in comparison to staying in an area for the foreseeable future. If moving is on the horizon then you may just want to look at how the school ranks in teaching by using websites like SchoolDigger. If you are planning on staying in the area then you may want to take more variables into account like distance, outcomes and individual school services like after-school programs or special educational subjects offered at the school.
What schools are in the Upshur County Area?
There are several schools that are available in the Upshur County area, here is a list:
- B-U School
- Buckhannon Academy
- Buckhannon Upshur High School
- Fred W Eberle Technical Center
- French Creek Elementary
- Hodgesville Elementary
- Rock Cave Elementary
- Tennerton Elementary
- Union Elementary School
- Washington District Elementary
Which Upshur County schools are leading the pack?
When looking at what schools are leading in the Upshur County area you want to look at a couple of different variables. Two important ones are Student teacher ratio and rating. Lets look at student teacher ratio first. >Student teacher ratio is defined as, the number of students who attend a school divided by the number of teachers in the institution. B-U Middle School has the lowest student teacher ratio at 13.4 while Tennerton has the highest student teacher ratio at 17.1, meaning that there are more students to each teacher at that school. When it comes down to ratings Washington District Elementary leads the pack with 3 stars while 1 star ratings are seen at both B-U Middle School and French Creek Elementary. Data found here is located at Schooldigger.com.
How old are the schools?
Finding out how long the school has been around can also give great insight into which school you should choose. First of all the longevity of a school can be linked to its ability to successfully prepare students for the future on a consistent basis throughout time. Consistency is very important when understanding whether a school will meet the needs for your child.
Another important thing to learn about is the age of the school building. You want to make sure the school is in good condition and has been properly updated so that it meets all building requirements of the present time. This includes ensuring that the classrooms are no longer using old wooden windows which may have been painted with lead based paint. Lead paint can cause sickness in children. Make sure they have utilized replacement windows from a reputable construction company.
Also make sure to investigate how new the technology in the school is. For instance, do they offer computer usage to your children. Do the classrooms include smartboards or tablets for the students to utilize.
Conclusion
Choosing the right school for your children is not easy and should not be rushed. This article is not written to be comprehensive but to hopefully give you a foundation of some important aspects to look at when your looking to find the right school in the Upshur county area.
Upshur County School Blog 