McKinley Academy

Set in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, McKinley Academy is a minimally staffed unified-grade school, operated by Manitowoc School District. It enrolls 59 students across grades 1 through 12. Compared to the state average of about 272 students per school, that is 78% smaller than typical.

Manitowoc School District runs 11 schools in total, collectively educating 4,452 students. McKinley Academy is one of those campuses.

In terms of who attends, McKinley Academy lists that White students make up the majority at 63%. The remainder reads as 17% Hispanic, 8% Black, 8% multiracial, 3% Native American. The wider county runs roughly 88% White, putting the school's mix visibly less White than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 5.4:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 25.6:1 average. About 69% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is noticeably above Manitowoc County's rate of about 40%.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Manitowoc County indicate the typical household earns roughly $69,148 per year, about 23% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. Across Manitowoc County's 30 public schools (combined enrollment of about 10,090 students), McKinley Academy is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Wilson Middle, around 1.5 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

Geographically, the school is in a town-based area. McKinley Academy is a charter school, which puts it inside the public-school system but outside the standard district-managed model.

Trend over the last 7 years. McKinley Academy's enrollment has increased 9% since 2018, when it stood at 54 (now 59). White enrollment moved from 80% to 63% across the same window. Class-load math has tightened: from 9.0:1 in 2018 to 5.4:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.