School board votes 5-0 to shutter McKinley Middle School, the second campus closure in as many days

A guest addressed the county school board members at the Oct. 9 school closure hearing for McKinley Middle School at St. Albans High.Photo byKanawha County Schools

ST. ALBANS, W.Va. -- For the second time in as many days, Kanawha County Board of Education members have chosen to consolidate a district middle school.

Board members voted Wednesday to close McKinley Middle School. The decision comes one day after the panel decided to shutter East Bank Middle School, sending those students to DuPont Middle School beginning next school year.

Wednesday’s 5-0 vote was held immediately following a public hearing at St. Albans High School, where about 15 students, staff and other community members spoke mostly in opposition to the closure.

McKinley Middle School will be shuttered at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year. McKinley students will be sent to Hayes Middle School, about five miles away.

While the St. Albans school is the latest facility to fall victim to Kanawha County School’s ongoing closure campaign, it may not be its last. Four more schools are being considered in the coming days. The county school board will hold closing hearings for:

• Belle Elementary on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. at Riverside High School;
• Mary Ingles Elementary on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. at Riverside High School;
• Malden Elementary on Monday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. at Riverside High School; and
• Midland Trail Elementary on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. at Riverside High School.

Last year, board members voted to close Grandview Elementary, Weimer Elementary and Marmet Elementary schools, sending those pupils to Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary, Edgewood Elementary, Alban Elementary, Bridgeview Elementary and Chesapeake Elementary,

Closure proposals for each school being considered can be read on the Kanawha County Schools website.

Next up for deliberation is Belle Elementary. The school’s closure hearing will be held on Tuesday, Oct.15 at 6 p.m. at Riverside High School.

Michael Ramsburg is a Kanawha County communities reporter. He can be reached at ramsburgreports@gmail.com or by calling 304-370-3067.