EC Ohio News

There were 631 eighth grade students enrolled in Belmont County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4% less 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 123 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 8th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
St. Clairsville Middle School	123	24	512
Union Local Middle School	118	36.2	326
Barnesville Middle School	97	23	422
Martins Ferry Middle School	85	21.2	401
Bellaire Middle School	80	23.9	335
The Bridgeport School DIstrict - Middle School	63	28.1	224
Shadyside High School	49	17.7	277
Powhatan Elementary School	16	8.4	190
Leona Ave Middle School	0	0	184
St. Clairsville Elementary School	0	0	628
Anna Marie Ayers Elementary School	0	0	537
Bellaire Elementary School	0	0	491
Barnesville Elementary School	0	0	527
The Bridgeport School District - Elementary	0	0	351
Union Local High School	0	0	387
St. Clairsville High School	0	0	455
The Bridgeport School District - High School	0	0	167
Barnesville High School	0	0	338
Martins Ferry High School	0	0	362
Bellaire High School	0	0	291
Jefferson Ave Elementary School	0	0	229
Union Local Elementary School	0	0	599