EC Ohio News

There were 636 fifth grade students enrolled in Belmont County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4.1% more than the previous year, according to reports from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.

St. Clairsville Middle School welcomed most of the fifth grade students in the county, registering 133 students.

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

Statewide, Belmont County ranked 40th in enrollment numbers, with a total of 8,242 students enrolled in the 2023-24 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 5th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
St. Clairsville Middle School	133	26	512
Martins Ferry Middle School	103	25.7	401
Barnesville Middle School	102	24.2	422
Union Local Elementary School	88	14.7	599
Bellaire Middle School	84	25.1	335
The Bridgeport School DIstrict - Middle School	59	26.3	224
Leona Ave Middle School	51	27.7	184
Powhatan Elementary School	16	8.4	190
Jefferson Ave Elementary School	0	0	229
Bellaire High School	0	0	291
Martins Ferry High School	0	0	362
Barnesville High School	0	0	338
The Bridgeport School District - High School	0	0	167
St. Clairsville High School	0	0	455
Shadyside High School	0	0	277
Union Local High School	0	0	387
Union Local Middle School	0	0	326
The Bridgeport School District - Elementary	0	0	351
Barnesville Elementary School	0	0	527
Bellaire Elementary School	0	0	491
Anna Marie Ayers Elementary School	0	0	537
St. Clairsville Elementary School	0	0	628