Bethesda Elementary

Bethesda Elementary is a medium-sized primary school in Waukesha, Wisconsin, part of Waukesha School District. The school enrolls 401 students in grades pre-K through 5. By comparison, Wisconsin's public schools average about 323 students each, so Bethesda Elementary sits 24% bigger than that benchmark.

Waukesha School District comprises 27 schools with combined enrollment of 10,922 students; Bethesda Elementary is among them.

On demographics, Bethesda Elementary records that 52% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Beyond that, the school lists 38% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, 4% Black. By comparison, Waukesha County as a whole is about 87% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 13.2:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 14.7:1, putting Bethesda Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 39% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is noticeably above Waukesha County's rate of about 17%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Bethesda Elementary performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 53.6%, the actual is 59.6%, a residual of +6.0 points.

Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Waukesha County) reports that median household income runs about $106,076, roughly 49% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 3% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Waukesha County's 113 public schools (combined enrollment of about 60,032 students), Bethesda Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is North High, roughly 1.2 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Bethesda Elementary at 3rd of 7; the average score across the group is 51.7%.

Geographically, the school is in a downtown area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Bethesda Elementary has declined 23%, going from 519 students in 2018 to 401 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 62% to 52% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 15.1:1 in 2018 to 13.2:1 today.

On the community side, members of the Bethesda Elementary community share and discuss school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.