West Virginia K-12 Email Security Intelligence:
DNS Authentication Profiling of 65 School District LEAs

Lokentra Research Team
Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series
April 22, 2026
research@monitorworkspace.com • monitorworkspace.com/scorecard

Abstract

We present DNS email security profiling for 65 K-12 LEAs in West Virginia, of which 49 have active domains (75.4% coverage). Domains were scored on the Lokentra 100-point Email Security Index (ESI) rubric (SPF 30 pts + DKIM 30 pts + DMARC 40 pts). West Virginia K-12 districts achieve an average ESI score of 11.3/100, with 2.0% earning Grade A or B (strong posture) and 87.8% receiving Grade F (minimal authentication). Only 8.2% have any DMARC record, and just 2.0% have DMARC at an enforcement level (quarantine or reject) — leaving 91.8% of districts fully vulnerable to email domain spoofing. This report provides entity-level data for all 49 scored domains including provider classification, authentication status, and ESI score, sourced from NCES CCD 2024-2025 and live DNS resolution conducted April 22, 2026.

Keywords: West Virginia, K-12 email security, DMARC, SPF, school district cybersecurity, DNS authentication, Google Workspace, education technology

1. Dataset Overview

Table 1. West Virginia K-12 Dataset Summary
MetricValue
Total K-12 LEAs in state65
Regular school districts55
Charter LEAs5
Other LEA types (state-operated, regional, etc.)5
LEAs with active internet domain49 (75.4%)
Domains DNS-profiled49
Data freshness (NCES CCD)2024-2025 school year
DNS scan dateApril 22, 2026

2. The Human Impact: Populations at Risk

To estimate human exposure, NCES national averages are applied to CCD 2024-2025 operational school counts: 381 students per school, 51 staff per school, and 2 parents or guardians per student. West Virginia K-12 districts collectively operate approximately 675 schools.

Table 2. Estimated Population Exposure from K-12 Email Security Gaps — West Virginia
PopulationTotal in DatasetAt Risk (No DMARC, 91.8%)Critically Exposed (Grade F, 87.8%)
Students257,175236,086225,799
Parents and guardians514,350472,173451,599
Staff and educators34,42531,60230,225
Total people805,950739,862707,624

Estimates based on NCES national averages. Individual district enrollment data can be linked via NCES LEAID for precise counts.

3. Authentication Findings

3.1 Protocol Adoption

Table 3. Email Authentication Protocol Adoption — West Virginia K-12
ProtocolWest VirginiaNational K-12 (ESI)vs. National
SPF (any configuration)22.4%79.7%-57.3pp
DKIM (key published)12.2%59.6%-47.4pp
DMARC (any policy)8.2%55.5%-47.3pp
DMARC at enforcement (quarantine/reject)2.0%~21.0%-19.0pp
DMARC at reject (full enforcement)0.0%~12.2%-12.2pp
No MX records (not receiving email)55.1%~10.0%+45.1pp

3.2 ESI Grade Distribution

Table 4. ESI Score Grade Distribution — West Virginia K-12
GradeScoreDistrictsShareInterpretation
A90–10000.0%Full enforcement
B70–8912.0%Strong posture
C50–6936.1%Partial protection
D30–4924.1%Weak configuration
F0–294387.8%Minimal/no authentication
Average score11.3 / 100

3.3 Email Provider Distribution

Table 5. Email Provider Distribution — West Virginia K-12 (top providers)
ProviderDistrictsShare
Google Workspace1428.6%
Barracuda12.0%

4. District-Level Data

4.1 Top Performing Districts (Best ESI Scores)

Table 6. Top 15 West Virginia K-12 Districts by ESI Score
DistrictDomainCountyProviderSPFDKIMDMARC PolicyScoreGrade
WIN Academy at BVCTC bridgevalley.edu Kanawha County Barracuda ✓ ✓ quarantine 88 B
BERKELEY COUNTY SCHOOLS berkeleycountyschools.org Berkeley County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ none 65 C
MONONGALIA COUNTY SCHOOLS boe.mono.k12.wv.us Monongalia County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ none 65 C
CABELL COUNTY SCHOOLS cabellcountyschools.com Cabell County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ — 60 C
HARRISON COUNTY SCHOOLS harcoboe.net Harrison County Google Workspace ⚠ ✓ — 45 D
JACKSON COUNTY SCHOOLS boe.jack.k12.wv.us Jackson County Google Workspace ✗ ✓ — 30 D
DODDRIDGE COUNTY SCHOOLS dcschools.us Doddridge County Google Workspace ✓ ✗ — 25 F
GREENBRIER COUNTY SCHOOLS greenbriercountyschools.org Greenbrier County Google Workspace ✓ ✗ — 25 F
HARDY COUNTY SCHOOLS hardycountyschools.com Hardy County — ✓ ✗ — 25 F
JEFFERSON COUNTY SCHOOLS jcswv.org Jefferson County Google Workspace ✓ ✗ — 25 F
PLEASANTS COUNTY SCHOOLS pleasantscountyschools.com Pleasants County — ✓ ✗ — 25 F
ROANE COUNTY SCHOOLS roanewvschools.com Roane County — ✓ ✗ — 25 F
UPSHUR COUNTY SCHOOLS upshurschools.com Upshur County Google Workspace ✓ ✗ — 25 F
PENDLETON COUNTY SCHOOLS pendletoncountyschools.com Pendleton County — ⚠ ✗ — 15 F
West Virginia Academy westvirginiaacademy.org Monongalia County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ none 10 F

4.2 Districts Most in Need of Improvement (Lowest ESI Scores)

Table 7. Bottom 15 West Virginia K-12 Districts by ESI Score
DistrictDomainCountyProviderSPFDKIMDMARC PolicyScoreGrade
West Virginia Virtual Academy wvva.k12.com Kanawha County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
BROOKE COUNTY SCHOOLS brooke.schoolwires.net Brooke County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Virtual Preparatory Academy of West Virginia westvirginia.virtualpreparatoryacademy.com Jefferson County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
CALHOUN COUNTY SCHOOLS boe.calhoun.k12.wv.us Calhoun County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
BARBOUR COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION wvschools.com Barbour County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
CLAY COUNTY SCHOOLS claycountyschools.org Clay County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
FAYETTE COUNTY SCHOOLS boe.faye.k12.wv.us Fayette County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
HAMPSHIRE COUNTY SCHOOLS boe.hamp.k12.wv.us Hampshire County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
GILMER COUNTY SCHOOLS boe.gilmer.k12.wv.us Gilmer County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
LEWIS COUNTY SCHOOLS lewisboe.com Lewis County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
LOGAN COUNTY SCHOOLS logancs.schoolsites.com Logan County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
MARSHALL COUNTY SCHOOLS boe.mars.k12.wv.us Marshall County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
MASON COUNTY SCHOOLS boe.maso.k12.wv.us Mason County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
MINGO COUNTY SCHOOLS mingocountyschools.com Mingo County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
MCDOWELL COUNTY SCHOOLS boe.mcdo.k12.wv.us McDowell County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F

4.3 County-Level Summary (Top 10 Counties by District Count)

Table 8. West Virginia County Distribution
CountyDistrictsWebsite Coverage
Kanawha County540.0%
Jefferson County366.7%
Berkeley County250.0%
Raleigh County250.0%
Hampshire County2100.0%
Monongalia County2100.0%
Barbour County1100.0%
Boone County10.0%
Braxton County10.0%
Brooke County1100.0%

5. Policy Implications

These findings identify specific, actionable gaps in West Virginia's K-12 email security posture. The 91.8% DMARC gap represents districts that can be impersonated by any sender, enabling phishing campaigns targeting parents, students, and educators with no authentication failure. Key observations:

6. Data Availability

The full West Virginia K-12 dataset — 65 entities with NCES CCD enrichment (phone, address, grade span, school count, LEAID) and DNS authentication profiles — is available as part of the Lokentra ESI State Pack.

Table 9. Licensing Tiers
TierScopeSuggested Use
State Pack: West VirginiaAll 65 K-12 LEAs, full DNS profile + CCD enrichmentRegional studies, state policy, outreach
K-12 NationalAll 50 states, 20,021+ K-12 LEAsNational K-12 cybersecurity research
Full Registry801,359+ entities across all sectorsComprehensive multi-sector research
API + UpdatesQuarterly re-scan, REST APILongitudinal studies, live dashboards

Contact: research@monitorworkspace.com — Free demo at monitorworkspace.com/scorecard

Citation: Lokentra Research Team (2026). West Virginia K-12 Email Security Intelligence: DNS Authentication Profiling of 65 School District LEAs. Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series. https://lokentra-site.web.app/research/states/wv-k12-paper.html

Data sources: NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-2025; DNS records resolved via Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1). All entity data derived from publicly accessible government registries.

National baseline figures from Lokentra U.S. Education Sector Email Security Intelligence Dataset (March 2026). See education-dataset-paper.html for full methodology.