Clayton Elementary

Located at 236 Polk Ave W, in Clayton, Wisconsin, Clayton Elementary is a rural-scale primary school that educates 124 students (grades pre-K through 5), one of the schools within Clayton School District. That puts it 62% smaller than the typical public school in Wisconsin, which averages around 323 students.

Clayton School District comprises 3 schools with combined enrollment of 256 students; Clayton Elementary is among them.

Demographically, Clayton Elementary logs that nearly all students (91%) are White. The remainder breaks down as 3% Hispanic, 2% Asian. That composition is broadly in line with Polk County as a whole.

On the resource side, Clayton Elementary logs 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 8.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 14.7:1, putting Clayton Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 48% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is noticeably above Polk County's rate of about 37%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Clayton Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 48.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 59.6%.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Polk County indicate median household earnings sit near $77,219, 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. In all, Polk County runs 26 public schools (combined enrollment of about 6,126 students), of which Clayton Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Clayton High, roughly 0.0 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around Clayton Elementary. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Clayton Elementary at 1st of 8; the average score across the group is 52.2%.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Clayton Elementary has edged down 19%, going from 154 students in 2018 to 124 in 2025. The White share of enrollment ticked down from 97% to 91% over that span. Class-load math has narrowed: from 10.2:1 in 2018 to 8.8:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the feed for Clayton Elementary typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.