West Elementary School

As a mid-sized elementary-level community in Alton, Illinois, West Elementary School educates 407 students from grades 2 through 5, operated by Alton CUSD 11.

West Elementary School is one of 10 schools operated by Alton CUSD 11, a district that instructs 5,526 students overall.

Looking at the student body, West Elementary School logs that 45% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest breaks down as 29% Black, 17% multiracial, 8% Hispanic. By comparison, Madison County as a whole is about 83% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, West Elementary School logs 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.3:1. The state averages about 13.9:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Roughly 57% of students at West Elementary School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Madison County runs at roughly 46%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully above the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, West Elementary School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 38.6%, the actual is 25.0%, a residual of -13.6 points.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Madison County indicate median household earnings sit near $75,793, roughly 31% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. West Elementary School is one of 84 public schools in Madison County (combined enrollment of about 35,253 students).

Eunice Smith Elem School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.0 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around West Elementary School. Among the 5 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), West Elementary School ranks 5th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 30.3%.

West Elementary School operates from a residential location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 31%: 586 students in 2018 compared to 407 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 54% to 45% across the same window. Class-load math has tightened: from 14.7:1 in 2018 to 13.3:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for West Elementary School typically covers pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.