West Salem Elementary

West Salem Elementary is one of the substantial elementary schools in West Salem, Wisconsin, run under West Salem School District, with 677 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 4. That puts it 110% above the typical public school in Wisconsin, which averages around 323 students.

Within West Salem School District, which oversees 3 schools and 1,814 students, West Salem Elementary is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, West Salem Elementary shows that nearly all students (92%) are White; the rest breaks down as 3% Hispanic.

On the income-and-resources front, West Salem Elementary shows 50 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.5:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 14.7:1 average. Around 24% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against La Crosse County (around 35%), the school's rate is somewhat below typical.

With demographic context factored in, West Salem Elementary performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 62.9%, the actual is 68.3%, a residual of +5.4 points.

In the area at large, census data for La Crosse County shows median household earnings sit near $73,013, roughly 37% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. Across La Crosse County's 38 public schools (combined enrollment of about 14,903 students), West Salem Elementary is one campus in the mix.

West Salem Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 4 other public schools cluster around West Salem Elementary. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), West Salem Elementary ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 59.3%.

West Salem Elementary operates from a rural location.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 24%: 887 students in 2018 compared to 677 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 16.0:1 in 2018 to 13.5:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.