Mendota Mental Health Institution

Set in Madison, Wisconsin, Mendota Mental Health Institution is an one-room-style unified-grade school, one of the schools within Wisconsin Department of Health Services. It teaches 18 students across grades K through 12. That puts it 93% leaner than the typical public school in Wisconsin, which averages around 272 students.

Wisconsin Department of Health Services runs 4 schools in total, collectively educating 25 students. Mendota Mental Health Institution is one of those campuses.

Demographically, Mendota Mental Health Institution logs that the largest single group is Black, at 72% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school shows 17% White, 11% Native American. By comparison, Dane County as a whole is about 5% Black, so the school skews visibly more Black than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school currently runs with 2 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 9.0:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 25.6:1 average.

In the area at large, census data for Dane County shows median household income runs about $89,975, roughly 55% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. Across Dane County's 169 public schools (combined enrollment of about 78,525 students), Mendota Mental Health Institution is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Central Wisconsin Center, roughly 0.6 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

Geographically, the school is in an urban area.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 28%: 25 students in 2018 compared to 18 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 12% to 0% across the same window. Class-load math has widened: from 5.0:1 in 2018 to 9.0:1 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.