Knudsen Elementary School

Knudsen Elementary School is an elementary school of small scale in WATERFORD, Michigan, one of the schools within Waterford School District, serveing 278 students in grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 25% leaner than the state mean of about 369.

Within Waterford School District, which oversees 17 schools and 6,641 students, Knudsen Elementary School is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Knudsen Elementary School records that the largest single group is White, at 68% of enrollment. Other groups include 15% Hispanic, 10% Black, 6% multiracial. Compared to Oakland County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 19 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 14.9:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.8:1, putting Knudsen Elementary School tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 64% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Oakland County (around 32%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Knudsen Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 37.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 36.5%.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Oakland County) logs that median household earnings sit near $97,760, about 51% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. Knudsen Elementary School is one of 345 public schools in Oakland County (combined enrollment of about 169,926 students).

The closest other public school is Haviland Elementary School, roughly 0.9 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Knudsen Elementary School at 6th of 6; the average score across the group is 50.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a bedroom-community area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Knudsen Elementary School's enrollment has ticked down 18% since 2018, when it stood at 340 (now 278). Over the same period, the Hispanic share edged down from 21% to 15%. Class-load math has tightened: from 17.2:1 in 2018 to 14.9:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.