STATE BOARD FORMALLY BACKS ROCK CAVE ELEMENTARY CLOSURE PLAN, PENDING DOCUMENTED ORDERS AND TRANSITION WORK

BUCKHANNON, WV, December 10th, 2025
Rock Cave Elementary School in southern Upshur County is now moving toward closure at the end of the 2025–2026 school year after a sequence of state and local actions that began earlier this fall, with the West Virginia Board of Education giving its approval at a Charleston meeting this week according to regional reporting.

Earlier in the process, the state-appointed Upshur County Board of Education voted on November 20th to close Rock Cave Elementary and move students to French Creek Elementary as part of a broader consolidation and facilities plan. That vote came after public meetings and local discussion about enrollment, facilities conditions, and countywide restructuring.

At the state level, the WEST VIRGINIA BOARD OF EDUCATION placed the proposed closure on its December agenda in Charleston. Coverage of this week’s meeting by WVNews reports that the board voted to approve the Rock Cave closure and allow the Upshur County plan to move forward, subject to normal state procedures and documentation. Because the formal minutes and written orders from the state board meeting have not yet been posted on the WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION website, Appalachian Post is treating those details as based on attributed secondary reporting rather than first-hand state records.

Rock Cave Elementary currently serves a small student body in a rural area of Upshur County. According to WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION data on enrollment and economic need, Rock Cave has roughly 130 enrolled students and is listed with a needy rate above 100 percent under the state’s “percent needy” reporting, indicating that virtually all students qualify for free meals or similar support under federal guidelines. Separate state accountability documents categorize Rock Cave Elementary as “red on academics and red/yellow on attendance,” reflecting ongoing performance and attendance challenges in the school’s official state profile.

Those same WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION datasets show that neighboring elementary schools in Upshur County, including French Creek Elementary and Hodgesville Elementary, also serve high-need populations but are larger and more centrally positioned in the county’s network of schools. Under the consolidation plan described in local coverage and county presentations, Rock Cave students are expected to be reassigned primarily to French Creek Elementary beginning with the 2026–2027 school year, with transportation routes and classroom space to be adjusted to absorb the additional students.

Local reports on the Upshur County board’s November vote describe community concerns about longer bus rides, the loss of a neighborhood school, and the future of the Rock Cave building itself. County officials have pointed to declining enrollment, facility needs, and the state’s academic designations as reasons for restructuring, while also stating that the plan is intended to strengthen academic offerings and better align limited resources across the county’s elementary schools.

As of the evening of December 10th, Appalachian Post has not yet located any posted written closure order, signed decision, or detailed transition plan for Rock Cave Elementary on official state platforms. Until those first-hand documents are available from the WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION or the UPSHUR COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION, the only fully verifiable written records about Rock Cave Elementary in state systems remain the enrollment, need, and accountability reports already published for the school and district.

Our reporting will be updated when the state board’s official minutes, orders, or written findings related to Rock Cave Elementary are released, so that readers can review the exact language, implementation dates, and conditions attached to the closure and consolidation plan.

The Appalachian Post is an independent West Virginia news outlet dedicated to clean, verified, first-hand reporting. We do not publish rumors. We do not run speculation. Every fact we present must be supported by original documentation, official statements, or direct evidence. When secondary sources are used, we clearly identify them and never treat them as first-hand confirmation. We avoid loaded language, emotional framing, or accusatory wording, and we do not attack individuals, organizations, or other news outlets. Our role is to report only what can be verified through first-hand sources and allow readers to form their own interpretations. If we cannot confirm a claim using original evidence, we state clearly that we reviewed first-hand sources and could not find documentation confirming it. Our commitment is simple: honest reporting, transparent sourcing, and zero speculation.

Sources

Primary first-hand sources (official records and data)

• WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION – Percent Needy Data listing Rock Cave Elementary and other Upshur County schools with enrollment and need percentages.
• WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION – Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) data for 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 including Rock Cave Elementary and French Creek Elementary.
• WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION – Accountability and school scorecard document identifying Rock Cave Elementary’s academic and attendance status.

Secondary attribution-based sources (news coverage and reports)

• WVNews regional reporting on the West Virginia Board of Education’s vote to approve the Rock Cave Elementary closure and related Upshur County consolidation actions.
• Other regional and local coverage of Upshur County school consolidation discussions and the state-appointed Upshur County Board of Education’s November vote regarding Rock Cave Elementary.