1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at West Salem Elementary right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
677
Elementary
DISTRICT 605 · STATE 323
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WEST SALEM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 551635002140
West Salem Elementary
475 N Mark St, West Salem, WI 54669 · (608) 786-1662 · La Crosse County
GRADES PK–04ELEMENTARY41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL677 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 71% of Wisconsin public elementary schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Wisconsin public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
13.5:1
50 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.3:1 · STATE 14.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
24%
163 students
DISTRICT 22% · STATE 42%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 70 | 10% |
| Kindergarten | 91 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 115 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 137 | 20% |
| Grade 3 | 127 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 137 | 20% |
This year's kindergarten class (91) is 34% smaller than its 4th grade class (137).
Student demographics
14%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 15% · STATE 54% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within West Salem School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
Forward Exam 2024-25 . % Meeting or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
66.7%
WI avg 53.1% . +2.3pp since 2023
Math
67.4%
WI avg 54.8% . +2.2pp since 2023
What this means: On the Forward Exam, Wisconsin's statewide test, about 67 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 67 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Wisconsin schools, those numbers are about 53 and 55. Reading and writing scores are up about 2 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 2 points.
Forward Exam results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 66.7% | 67.4% |
| 2023-24 | 64.4% | 65.2% |
% Meeting or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Forward Exam. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
68.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
62.9%
based on WI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+5.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 68% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 63% typical for Wisconsin schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Wisconsin's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like West Salem Elementary
West Salem Elementary's state test result (68.3% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Salem Elementary this school | 677 | 24.1% | 68.3% |
| Mosinee Elementary Mosinee | 632 | 25.2% | 51.9% |
| Denmark Elementary Denmark | 778 | 22.8% | 66.1% |
| Saint Croix Central Elementary Roberts | 629 | 23.2% | 67.3% |
| Somerset Elementary Somerset | 577 | 23.2% | 61.8% |
| Randall Consolidated School Burlington | 560 | 23.4% | 61.5% |
Matched among Wisconsin elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where West Salem Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Wisconsin | In La Crosse County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 68.3% | #225 of 982 | #3 of 20 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 67.4% | #250 of 992 ▲ 79 | #3 of 20 ▲ 4 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 66.7% | #204 of 992 ▲ 61 | #2 of 20 ▲ 5 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 677 | #30 of 1,157 | #1 of 21 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.5:1 | #497 of 901 | #16 of 17 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 14.4% | #843 of 901 | #17 of 17 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 24.1% | #826 of 1,064 | #16 of 20 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -23.7% | #155 of 664 | #4 of 16 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
677
-2 (0%) vs 2020
+10% since 1990-91, when it was 613
Student : Teacher
13.5:1
was 13.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 677 | 50.3 | 13.5:1 | 24% (163) |
| 2023-24 | 686 | 52 | 13.2:1 | 26% (181) |
| 2022-23 | 692 | 50.1 | 13.8:1 | 27% (186) |
| 2020-21 | 679 | 50 | 13.6:1 | 32% (217) |
| 2017-18 | 887 | 55.4 | 16.0:1 | 27% (240) |
| 2015-16 | 864 | 55 | 15.7:1 | 23% (197) |
| 2010-11 | 847 | 53 | 16.0:1 | 28% (235) |
| 2000-01 | 713 | 52 | 13.7:1 | 19% (133) |
| 1990-91 | 613 | 24 | 25.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Salem Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 24% (887 to 677); teachers down 9% (55.4 to 50.3).
About West Salem Elementary
West Salem Elementary is a large elementary school that serves part of West Salem, Wisconsin. The school enrolls 677 students in pre-K through 4. That compares with an average of about 323 students for elementary schools in Wisconsin.
West Salem Elementary is one school in West Salem School District, a system of 3 schools with 1,814 students.
Roughly 92% of students at West Salem Elementary are White. Enrollment also includes 3% Hispanic. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, West Salem Elementary scores 14%.
A staff of 50.3 full-time-equivalent teachers puts the student-to-teacher ratio at 13.5:1. Across elementary schools in Wisconsin, the average ratio is 14.7:1. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 24%. The gap from the 35% average for public schools in La Crosse County is 11 points.
West Salem Elementary holds a B+ allk12 Grade, placing it above 71% of Wisconsin public elementary schools.
West Salem Elementary scores 68.3% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 62.9%.
Census data for La Crosse County show the median household earns about $73,013 a year, roughly 37% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Counting West Salem Elementary, La Crosse County has 38 public schools.
West Salem Elementary's closest public school neighbor is West Salem Middle, about 0.1 miles away. Within five miles of West Salem Elementary, there are 4 other public schools. Among its closest neighbors with test data, West Salem Elementary is 3rd of 8 on proficiency.
West Salem Elementary is in rural territory close to an urban area, a location NCES labels Rural: Fringe.
Enrollment was essentially flat over 4 years: 679 in 2020-21, 677 in 2024-25.
The allk12 page for West Salem Elementary lets the school community talk about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. You can also rate the school on this page.
La Crosse County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
120,488
Census ACS
Median income
$73,013
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
38
14,903 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in West Salem School District
- West Salem HighHigh · 603 students
- West Salem MiddleMiddle · 534 students
Other schools in West Salem
- West Salem HighHigh · 603 students
- West Salem MiddleMiddle · 534 students
Other West Salem Elementary schools
One other US public school is named West Salem Elementary. West Salem Elementary is the largest of the 2.
- West Salem ElementarySalem, VA · 375 students
Nearby schools
- West Salem Middle0.1 mi · 534
- West Salem High0.2 mi · 603
- Bangor Elementary4.5 mi · 313
- Bangor Middle/High4.6 mi · 352
- North Woods International School6.2 mi · 255
- Eagle Bluff Elementary6.4 mi · 471
Frequently asked questions
About West Salem ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at West Salem Elementary?
West Salem Elementary enrolls approximately 677 students in grades PK-04.
Is West Salem Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
West Salem Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-04.
How many teachers does West Salem Elementary have?
West Salem Elementary employs 50 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.5:1.
What is the student diversity at West Salem Elementary?
Student demographics at West Salem Elementary are roughly 92% White, 3% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is West Salem Elementary public or private?
West Salem Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by West Salem School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.