Total enrollment
5,779
+237 (+4%) vs SY 2020-21
13 schools in Wise County Public Schools
Virginia · 5,779 students · 6 cities
Wise County Public Schools runs the local public-school system inside Virginia: 13 K-12 schools serving roughly 5,779 students, with 7 elementary, 3 middle, and 3 high.
4-year change in Wise County Public Schools
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
11
0 (0%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Wise County Public Schools ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In Virginia | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 87.3% | #2 of 117 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 5,779 | #40 of 130 | #1,644 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 11 | #45 of 130 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.1:1 | #54 of 130 | #3,306 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 91.2% | #35 of 115 | #678 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 16.8% | #110 of 114 | #6,018 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside Wise County Public Schools
State test results across the district's 10 scored schools run from St. Paul Elementary at 97.6% proficient to Eastside High at 79.9%, a gap of 17.8 points. That is the 67th widest gap among 95 Virginia districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 11 district schools that reported both years went from 5,827 to 5,779 students (down 1%) and from 382 to 440 full-time teachers (up 15%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Primary | Big Stone Gap | Elementary | PK-04 | 809 |
| Central High | Norton | High | 09-12 | 676 |
| Wise Primary | Wise | Elementary | PK-04 | 603 |
| Union High | Big Stone Gap | High | 09-12 | 564 |
| Union Middle | Big Stone Gap | Middle | 05-08 | 561 |
| J.W. Adams Combined | Pound | Elementary | PK-08 | 523 |
| St. Paul Elementary | St Paul | Elementary | PK-08 | 514 |
| Coeburn Primary | Coeburn | Elementary | PK-04 | 420 |
| Eastside High | Coeburn | High | 09-12 | 418 |
| L.F. Addington Middle | Wise | Middle | 05-08 | 387 |
| Coeburn Middle | Coeburn | Middle | 05-08 | 304 |
| Wise Co. Alternative Ed. Ctr. | Wise | Elementary | N-N | · |
| Wise County Career-Technical Center | Wise | Elementary | N-N | · |
About Wise County Public Schools
Across 13 schools, Wise County Public Schools serves about 5,779 students in Virginia. By footprint it is a thinly populated district.
On the school-mix side, Wise County Public Schools spans 7 elementary, 3 middle, and 3 high schools.
Per-school enrollment averages around 445 in this district, below the Virginia typical of 672.
Over the past 4-year window. Combined enrollment now sits at 5,779 students, grew 4% from the 5,542 reported in SY 2020-21.
On this page, the community for Wise County Public Schools discusses comparison threads between local schools and program reviews. Posts come from current and former families, staff, and alumni.