Central Elementary

As a modestly sized K-5 school in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, Central Elementary enrolls 269 students from grades pre-K through 5, overseen by Rhinelander School District.

Rhinelander School District runs 6 schools in total, collectively educating 2,224 students. Central Elementary is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Central Elementary lists that 85% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority; the rest is composed of 7% multiracial, 4% Hispanic. The wider county runs roughly 94% White, putting the school's mix meaningfully less White than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 10.5:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 14.7:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 62% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is noticeably above Oneida County's rate of about 42%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Central Elementary sits in the top 10% of Wisconsin schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 39.8%; actual is 53.5%, +13.8 points clear of the demographic baseline.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Oneida County put median household income runs about $69,371, 29% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Oneida County runs 15 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,949 students), of which Central Elementary is one.

Nearest neighbor: Rhinelander High, around 0.5 miles off. Within five miles, there are 4 other public schools. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Central Elementary ranks 4th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 56.5%.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 14%: 311 students in 2018 compared to 269 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 90% to 85% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 14.7:1 in 2018 to 10.5:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.