McLane Elementary

McLane Elementary, an average-sized primary school in West Bend, Wisconsin, part of West Bend School District, hosts 340 students, covering grades K through 4.

Across the 12 schools in West Bend School District (5,365 students total), McLane Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, McLane Elementary reports that 76% of the student body identifies as White. The remainder reads as 11% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 3% Black, 2% Asian. By comparison, Washington County as a whole is about 91% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, McLane Elementary reports 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.4:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 14.7:1 average. Roughly 35% of students at McLane Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is above Washington County's rate of about 23%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, McLane Elementary sits in the top 10% of Wisconsin schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 56.0%; actual is 74.1%, +18.1 points clear of the demographic baseline.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Washington County indicate median household earnings sit near $96,359, roughly 35% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 4%. Across Washington County's 34 public schools (combined enrollment of about 17,746 students), McLane Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Badger Middle, roughly 0.4 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around McLane Elementary. On composite proficiency, McLane Elementary comes 1st of 6 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 62.0%.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 37%: 542 students in 2018 compared to 340 in 2025. The White share of enrollment edged down from 85% to 76% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 16.1:1 in 2018 to 13.4:1 today.

On allk12, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.