KCS Alternative Learning

Charleston · WV · Kanawha County Schools · Public · K-12 combined

Public 🏛 Kanawha County Schools →

Similar nearby schools

Most similar nearby schools

WIN Academy at BVCTC → Charleston Catholic High School → George Washington High School → South Charleston High School → Capital High School → Ben Franklin Career Center → Sissonville High School → Cross Lanes Christian School →

📋 At a glance

Programs & features

📚 1 AP courses offered — Strong
✅ Dual-enrollment program (college credit while in HS)
✅ Gifted & talented program

Academic signals

🎓 AP rigor: 52th percentile nationally

Composed from federal CRDC offerings, EDFacts ACGR, and other public data. Full breakdowns below.

💡

How KCS Alternative Learning compares for families

Solid mid-tier academic profile.

▸ StatewideAP rigor at the 52th percentile nationally with 1 AP courses.
▸ LocallyWV trails the US average on NAEP 8th-grade math (−9 points). Stronger local schools matter even more.
▸ vs Similar SchoolsThe closest comparables nearby: WIN Academy at BVCTC, Charleston Catholic High School, George Washington High School and 5 more. See the sidebar to compare side-by-side.

For Parents

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🎓 Academic rigor

AP + advanced-course offerings

Strong — solid AP program + advanced courses

52th percentile nationally

Less rigorMore rigorMost rigor

AP courses offered

Science ✓

Advanced math classes

0 calculus · 3 advanced

Lab science classes

0 physics · 2 chemistry

Other rigor signals

✅ Dual-enrollment program
✅ Gifted/talented program

Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2020-21). CRDC reports what's offered + enrolled — it doesn't collect AP exam pass rates (College Board owns that data and doesn't release it school-level).

SAT / ACT participation

CRDC federal data · 2020-21

SAT/ACT test-takers

11th-12th graders who took 1+ college admissions test

Test-taking intensity

0.0

takers per 100 students in grades 9-12

Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2020-21). Volume — not score — is what's reported here. A higher count means more students at this school are entering the college admissions pipeline. Note: 2020-21 was COVID-disrupted; some districts (especially those that stayed remote longer) report unusually low or zero takers.

👩‍🏫 Teacher workforce · federal CRDC

Teacher experience & reliability

% inexperienced teachers (1st-2nd yr)

Strong: experienced corps. New teachers rotate through but most have ≥3 years in.

% chronic teacher absence (≥10 days/yr)

41.7%

Elevated. Teacher absence directly affects classroom continuity and student outcomes.

Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2017-18 — the most recent vintage that publishes per-school teacher quality fields; the 2020-21 sweep had them suppressed). "Inexperienced" = teachers in their first or second year. "Chronic absence" = teachers absent 10+ days/year.

Chronic absenteeism

Share of students absent 15+ days

71.6%

Well above the national average (~16%). At this level, chronic absence becomes a leading driver of enrollment loss as families rotate to other schools.

Students absent 15+ days

Federal definition: absent (excused or unexcused) for at least 15 of ~180 school days — about 10% of the school year.

Why this matters to enrollment: Chronic absence is the most reliable early indicator that a student will leave a school — either by transferring out, dropping out, or matriculating to a charter or private alternative. At this level, today's absentees become next year's enrollment loss and the year-after's revenue loss. For school leaders: an Enrollment Trend Audit traces this dynamic forward →

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2020–2021. Rate = students chronically absent ÷ 2024 total enrollment.

Counselor capacity

Student : Counselor

67:1

Below the ASCA 250:1 recommendation — strong capacity for college planning, course selection, and student supports.

Counselor FTE

2.0

Full-time-equivalent school counselors on staff.

Teacher FTE

Full-time-equivalent classroom teachers.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2020-2021. Counselor ratio = the school's most recent total enrollment ÷ counselor FTE. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends a 250:1 maximum; the US national median across schools with on-staff counselors is roughly 430:1.

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment + grade 12, NCES Common Core of Data (2021–2024).

If the recent trend holds…

At its recent rate of +6.8%/year, projecting from 2024's 134 students:

2025

143

2027

163

2029

186

An extrapolation of the recent trajectory, not a forecast of the school's plans; ignores one-off shocks.

Nearby high schools — the local competition

The closest high schools families here also consider, and where their enrollment is heading.

School	Type	Miles	HS enrollment	Trend
WIN Academy at BVCTC South Charleston	Public · charter	2.7	34	—
Charleston Catholic High School Charleston	Private	2.8	365	-14.9%
George Washington High School Charleston	Public	3.2	1,145	-3.9%
South Charleston High School South Charleston	Public	4.5	874	-11.7%
Capital High School Charleston	Public	4.7	1,051	-9.6%
Ben Franklin Career Center Dunbar	Public	5.0	—	—
Sissonville High School Charleston	Public	6.6	564	-6.6%
Cross Lanes Christian School Cross Lanes	Private	7.7	204	-26.4%