Charleston: Education and Research

Charleston: Education and Research

Elementary and Secondary Schools

Public education in Charleston is provided by the Kanawha County Public Schools. The district is administered by a five-member board of education and a superintendent who follow policies established by the State Department of Education and the West Virginia Board of Education. Kanawha County Schools has been awarded the What Parents Want award at least three times from SchoolMatch, a national educational research and consulting firm. The system offers a unique program consisting of several Family Resource Centers (FRCs) and Parent/Educator Resource Centers (PERCs) in the public schools. The centers offer families, students, and educators a variety of services to help support students and families.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Kanawha County Public Schools as of the 2002–2003 school year.

Total enrollment: 28,417

Number of facilities

elementary schools: 46

junior high/middle schools: 13

senior high schools: 8

Student/teacher ratio: 14:1

Teacher salaries

average: $39,356

Funding per pupil: $7,704

Students in Charleston may also attend one of the valley's more than a dozen private Catholic, Christian, and nondenominational schools.

Public Schools Information: Kanawha County School District, 200 Elizabeth Street, Charleston, WV 25311; telephone (304)348-7732; fax (304)348-1934

Colleges and Universities

In the Kanawha Valley, there are two state-supported colleges, West Virginia State University and West Virginia University Institute of Technology; a state-supported graduate school, the West Virginia Graduate College of Marshall University; and a privately funded institution, the University of Charleston.

West Virginia State University, 8 miles west of Charleston on Interstate 64 in the town of Institute, is the second-largest public four-year college in the state. The college provides a broad spectrum of undergraduate degree programs, both baccalaureate and associate. In 2003, the former West Virginia State College became accredited as a university and began offering MS and MA degrees.

West Virginia University Institute of Technology, a regional campus of West Virginia University, offers engineering and other degree programs; its Center for Applied Business, Engineering and Technology includes a small business development center and an engineering consultant program.

Established in 1969 as the West Virginia Graduate College to aid degree-holders working in the valley in obtaining master's degrees without leaving the community, the West Virginia Graduate College of Marshall University offers graduate study in several degree programs. The 1998 merger of the Graduate College with Marshall University has increased the available resources and course offerings.

The University of Charleston, a privately endowed institution, has a beautiful campus that is situated on the Kanawha River across from the State Capitol. It offers undergraduate degrees as well as graduate programs that include a master of business administration degree program and master's degrees in human services. The Charleston Conservatory of Music offers instruction as part of the University of Charleston.

Libraries and Research Centers

Housed in the former Federal Building in downtown Charleston, the Kanawha County Public Library is the largest public non-university library in West Virginia. In 10 branches in area communities and a bookmobile, the system maintains more than 60,000 volumes and holds special history and oral history collections plus government documents. The Cultural Center in the Capitol Complex houses state archives, a genealogical library, and a general reference library. There are several special libraries in Charleston, including the Columbia Gas Transmission/Law Library, the First Presbyterian Church of Charleston Library, and several law and medical firms holding library collections.

Union Carbide's South Charleston Technical Center provides research and development support for the company's other facilities in Charleston and throughout the world.

Public Library Information: Kanawha County Public Library, 123 Capitol Street, Charleston, WV 25301-2686; telephone (304)343-4646