HICO, W.Va. — Fayette County Schools is officially celebrating the end of a decade-long school consolidation-building plan with Tuesday’s ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Midland Trail Elementary School in Hico.
The opening of the school, which occurred a few weeks ago when the school year began, brings to a close a school consolidation plan that was approved by the state Board of Education in July 2017.
The state School Building Authority approved the first round of funding for the plan six months earlier in December 2016. A $22.6 million award was granted.
Fayette County School Superintendent David Warvel said the district now has three high schools (Oak Hill, Meadow Bridge, Midland Trail) and five school campuses in all.
“We have our five campuses now which is a lot easier for us to upkeep and take care of with all of the consolidations,” Warvel told MetroNews Tuesday. “The last decade there’s been a lot of change.”
Fayette County voters rejected school bond issue after school bond issue. The state Board of Education seized control of the district, poor facilities being one of the reasons. A consolidation plan was finally agreed to with the SBA promising several years of funding. The work has included a new consolidated high school in Oak Hill, a new PreK-12 school in Meadow Bridge, where the ribbon was cut in May 2025, and now a new Midland Trail Elementary.
Warvel said there are a lot of people to thank for the decade long commitment.
“We’re just excited we’re able to get some money from the state School Building Authority and we’re very happy and pleased that they’ve given us that opportunity to take that money and get new facilities upgraded or brand new buildings,” Warvel said.
The new $24 million Midland Trail Elementary is beside Midland Trail High School. It houses students from Ansted and Divide elementary schools. Warble said the Ansted building was on its last leg, especially its heating system.
“It was an old coal furnace that was converted into electric heat. Last school year there were five days we had to cancel school because we could only get it to about 55 degrees in the classrooms,” Warvel said.
There are about 400 students in the new school.
Warvel said he would like to return to the SBA for at least one more project. He said the cafeteria and kitchen at Oak Hill High School need expanded.
“It’s pretty small for a Quad-A school,” he said.