Bessie B Baker School

Bessie B Baker School operates as an intimate elementary campus in WAYLAND, Michigan, one of the schools within Wayland Union Schools. Current enrollment sits at 280 students spanning grades pre-K through 1. That puts it 24% smaller than the typical public school in Michigan, which averages around 369 students.

Wayland Union Schools runs 7 schools in total, collectively educating 2,708 students. Bessie B Baker School is one of those campuses.

Demographically, Bessie B Baker School logs that the student body is overwhelmingly White (83%); the rest is composed of 9% Hispanic, 6% multiracial.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Bessie B Baker School has 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.0:1. The state averages around 15.8:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 45% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Allegan County put median household income runs about $83,283, 27% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Bessie B Baker School is one of 55 public schools in Allegan County (combined enrollment of about 17,174 students).

Nearest neighbor: Pine Street Elementary, around 0.2 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 5 other public schools cluster around Bessie B Baker School.

Geographically, the school is in a town-based area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Bessie B Baker School has declined 18%, going from 342 students in 2018 to 280 in 2025. The White share of enrollment decreased from 88% to 83% over that span. Class-load math has narrowed: from 14.5:1 in 2018 to 13.0:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.