South Walnut Elementary School

Set in BANGOR, Michigan, South Walnut Elementary School is a moderately sized K-5 school, one of the schools within Bangor Public Schools (Van Buren). It hosts 341 students across grades pre-K through 4.

South Walnut Elementary School is one of 4 schools operated by Bangor Public Schools (Van Buren), a district that serves 951 students overall.

Looking at the student body, South Walnut Elementary School logs that the largest single group is White at 48%, but no single group is in the majority; the rest looks like 41% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, 4% Black. By comparison, Van Buren County as a whole is about 80% White, so the school skews meaningfully less White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, South Walnut Elementary School has 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.8:1. The state averages around 15.8:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 77% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Van Buren County (around 52%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

With demographic context factored in, South Walnut Elementary School is in the bottom 10% of Michigan public schools. The BeatsExpectations model predicts schools with this FRL share to land around 32.3%; South Walnut Elementary School posts 18.9%, -13.3 points below that line.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Van Buren County) reports that median household income runs about $68,114, 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. Across Van Buren County's 45 public schools (combined enrollment of about 14,850 students), South Walnut Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Maple Creek Education Center is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 5 other public schools cluster around South Walnut Elementary School.

The campus sits in a low-density setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at South Walnut Elementary School has edged down 18%, going from 418 students in 2018 to 341 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio widened from 11.9:1 in 2018 to 14.8:1 today.

On allk12, the feed for South Walnut Elementary School typically covers classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.