EC Ohio News

There were 657 eighth grade students enrolled in Belmont County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 1.1% more than the previous year, according to reports from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.

St. Clairsville Middle School welcomed most of the eighth grade students in the county, registering 127 students.

Within Belmont County schools, the highest student count was found in sixth grade, with the smallest class sizes seen in pre-kindergarten.

Statewide, Belmont County ranked 40th in enrollment numbers, with a total of 8,300 students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year. It was also ranked 40th the year before.

In 2022, Ohio saw an average student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 1:15, which is an improvement for the state and is lower than the national average of 1:16.

Despite the apparent improvement, this positive trend is overshadowed by a general decline in public school enrollments, which was accelerated by the pandemic. This decline, aligned with the steady number of teachers in the state over the last 10 years, has led to low student-to-teacher ratios.

School name	# of 8th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
St. Clairsville Middle School	127	25.6	497
Barnesville Middle School	110	25.5	432
Union Local Middle School	108	31.5	343
Martins Ferry Middle School	103	26.5	389
Bellaire Middle School	95	26.9	353
Shadyside High School	61	21.8	280
The Bridgeport School DIstrict - Middle School	53	24.5	216
Powhatan Elementary School	0	0	162
Leona Ave Middle School	0	0	185
Union Local Elementary School	0	0	634
St. Clairsville Elementary School	0	0	612
Barnesville Elementary School	0	0	549
Anna Marie Ayers Elementary School	0	0	529
Bellaire Elementary School	0	0	476
The Bridgeport School District - Elementary	0	0	346
Jefferson Ave Elementary School	0	0	220
Bellaire High School	0	0	291
Martins Ferry High School	0	0	383
Barnesville High School	0	0	352
The Bridgeport School District - High School	0	0	175
St. Clairsville High School	0	0	439
Union Local High School	0	0	414