KCS Alternative Learning
Charleston · WV · Kanawha County Schools · Public · K-12 combined
Similar nearby schools
Most similar nearby schools
Ben Franklin Career Center → Carver Career Center → WIN Academy at BVCTC → Hannan Junior/Senior High School → Van Junior/Senior High School → Boone Career And Technical Center → Poca High School → Meadow Bridge Regional School →At a glance
- 1 AP courses offered — Strong
- Dual-enrollment program (college credit while in HS)
- Gifted & talented program
- AP rigor: 52nd percentile nationally
Composed from federal CRDC offerings, and other public data. Full breakdowns below.
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How KCS Alternative Learning compares for families
Solid mid-tier academic profile.
- ▸ StatewideAP rigor at the 52nd 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: Ben Franklin Career Center, Carver Career Center, WIN Academy at BVCTC and 5 more. See the sidebar to compare side-by-side.
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Objective, government-grade data — no school pays us for placement.
Academic rigor
AP + advanced-course offerings
Strong — solid AP program + advanced courses
52nd percentile nationally
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 · 2020-21Source: 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
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.
Your state's public flagship
West Virginia University
The in-state tuition gap is the flagship's biggest draw — most in-state families pay far less than the out-of-state sticker. Average net price after aid runs about $15,634/yr. Admission odds depend on your student's GPA and test scores, not which high school they attend.
Source: IPEDS admissions, tuition & enrollment + College Scorecard net price. Flagship = the state's primary public research university.
Pay for college in West Virginia
West Virginia's public scholarships
West Virginia's PROMISE Scholarship is a straightforward pure-merit award — hit the GPA and test bar and the state covers up to $5,500/yr toward tuition. No income limit.
Pure-merit award up to $5,500/yr — needs a 3.0 GPA (core and overall) plus SAT 1080 / ACT 21. (WV public or private HS grads; full-time first-year enrollment.)
Official program details ↗Eligibility rules change yearly — confirm with the official program before relying on it. Amounts are recent published figures; awards cover tuition/fees, not housing or books unless noted. Verified 2026-10-21.
Chronic absenteeism
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.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2020–2021. Rate = students chronically absent ÷ 2021 total enrollment.
Counselor capacity
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 +5.8%/year, projecting from 2024's 134 students:
An extrapolation of the recent trajectory, not a forecast of the school's plans; ignores one-off shocks.
Most similar nearby high schools
The schools most like this one — same type, blended on distance and size — and where their enrollment is heading. These are the schools families here weigh against each other.
| School | Type | Miles | HS enrollment | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Franklin Career Center Dunbar |
Public | 5.0 | — | — |
| Carver Career Center Charleston |
Public | 8.3 | — | — |
| WIN Academy at BVCTC South Charleston |
Public · charter | 2.7 | 34 | — |
| Hannan Junior/Senior High School Ashton |
Public | 25.7 | 128 | -21.0% |
| Van Junior/Senior High School Van |
Public | 28.4 | 90 | -23.1% |
| Boone Career And Technical Center Foster |
Public | 20.7 | — | — |
| Poca High School Poca |
Public | 10.0 | 410 | -7.9% |
| Meadow Bridge Regional School Meadow Bridge |
Public | 56.1 | 119 | — |
At a glance
JSON · Using this page with an AI assistantKCS Alternative Learning is a public high school in Charleston, WV, enrolling 134 students in grades 9-12 in 2024.
It offers 1 AP courses, a course-rigor profile stronger than 52% of U.S. high schools, and has a dual-enrollment program (federal Civil Rights Data Collection).
It has about 67 students per school counselor.
87% of its students were chronically absent in 2020.
Sources: National Center for Education Statistics (enrollment), the federal Civil Rights Data Collection and EDFacts, state education agencies where named, and the school's own published documents where named.
Questions families ask
How many AP courses does KCS Alternative Learning offer? KCS Alternative Learning offers 1 AP courses, a course-rigor profile stronger than 52% of U.S. high schools, and has a dual-enrollment program (federal Civil Rights Data Collection).
How many students attend KCS Alternative Learning? KCS Alternative Learning is a public high school in Charleston, WV, enrolling 134 students in grades 9-12 in 2024.
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com). These figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
What does AI tell parents about KCS Alternative Learning?
When a parent asks an AI assistant about KCS Alternative Learning, the answer is built from a handful of sources, and Reach is often one of them. We will send your school a short report on what AI says about KCS Alternative Learning and where it comes from. The first report is free.
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Related reading
AP courses · October 2026
Test scores · October 2026