West Side Elementary School

Located at 301 Center Street, in Decorah, Iowa, West Side Elementary School is an one-room-style elementary school that educates 20 students (grade pre-K), operated by Decorah Community School District. That puts it 94% leaner than the typical public school in Iowa, which averages around 325 students.

Decorah Community School District comprises 5 schools with combined enrollment of 1,522 students; West Side Elementary School is among them.

On the student-mix side, West Side Elementary School lists that the student body is overwhelmingly White (90%); the rest consists of 10% Hispanic. That composition is broadly in line with Winneshiek County as a whole.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school currently runs with 2 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 10.2:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.7:1, putting West Side Elementary School tighter than the state norm the norm. About 45% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Winneshiek County runs at roughly 27%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully above the surrounding baseline.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Winneshiek County put median household income runs about $79,066, 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. Across Winneshiek County's 10 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,434 students), West Side Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Decorah High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 4 other public schools cluster around West Side Elementary School.

The school occupies a town-based site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at West Side Elementary School has declined 67%, going from 60 students in 2018 to 20 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 3% to 10% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 12.1:1 in 2018 to 10.2:1 today.

On this page, the feed for West Side Elementary School typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.