Northern Hills Elementary

Northern Hills Elementary is a K-5 school of mid-sized scale in Onalaska, Wisconsin, overseen by Onalaska School District, teacheing 463 students in grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 43% above the state mean of about 323.

Northern Hills Elementary is one of 6 schools operated by Onalaska School District, a district that educates 2,920 students overall.

On the student-mix side, Northern Hills Elementary reports that 60% of the student body identifies as White. Beyond that, the school records 21% Asian, 9% multiracial, 6% Hispanic, 3% Black. The wider county runs roughly 88% White, putting the school's mix noticeably less White than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Northern Hills Elementary has 34 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.4:1. The state averages around 14.7:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 47% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is above La Crosse County's rate of about 35%.

After controlling for student poverty, Northern Hills Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 48.8%; this one delivers 50.8%.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for La Crosse County put the typical household earns roughly $73,013 per year, 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. In all, La Crosse County runs 38 public schools (combined enrollment of about 14,903 students), of which Northern Hills Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Onalaska Middle, roughly 0.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Northern Hills Elementary comes 6th of 8 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 52.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a downtown area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Northern Hills Elementary has ticked down 12%, going from 524 students in 2018 to 463 in 2025. The White share of enrollment contracted from 66% to 60% over that span.

On allk12, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.