Butternut Elementary

As a tiny primary school in Butternut, Wisconsin, Butternut Elementary serves 84 students from grades pre-K through 5, operated by Butternut School District. That puts it 74% below the typical public school in Wisconsin, which averages around 323 students.

Across the 3 schools in Butternut School District (177 students total), Butternut Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On the student-mix side, Butternut Elementary logs that the student body is overwhelmingly White (93%). Beyond that, the school lists 5% multiracial, 2% Hispanic. That is meaningfully more White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 83%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Butternut Elementary has 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 7.8:1. The state averages around 14.7:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 51% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Butternut Elementary is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 46.2%; this one delivers 71.9%, a residual of +25.7 points.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Ashland County put median household income runs about $62,462, about 25% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Ashland County runs 11 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,352 students), of which Butternut Elementary is one.

Butternut High is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around Butternut Elementary. On composite proficiency, Butternut Elementary comes 1st of 7 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 49.5%.

Geographically, the school is in a countryside area.

Five-year trend. Butternut Elementary's enrollment has decreased 6% since 2018, when it stood at 89 (now 84). White enrollment moved from 99% to 93% across the same window. Class-load math has pulled in: from 8.9:1 in 2018 to 7.8:1 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.