EC Ohio News

There were 621 ninth grade students enrolled in Belmont County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4.2% more than the previous year, according to reports from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.

St. Clairsville High School welcomed most of the ninth grade students in the county, registering 124 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 9th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
St. Clairsville High School	124	27.3	455
Barnesville High School	103	30.5	338
Union Local High School	102	26.4	387
Martins Ferry High School	97	26.8	362
Bellaire High School	88	30.2	291
The Bridgeport School District - High School	54	32.3	167
Shadyside High School	53	19.1	277
Union Local Elementary School	0	0	599
Jefferson Ave Elementary School	0	0	229
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
Leona Ave Middle School	0	0	184
Powhatan Elementary School	0	0	190
The Bridgeport School DIstrict - Middle School	0	0	224
Bellaire Middle School	0	0	335
Martins Ferry Middle School	0	0	401
Barnesville Middle School	0	0	422
Union Local Middle School	0	0	326
St. Clairsville Middle School	0	0	512