Summary:
ZIP code 53095 in West Bend, Wisconsin has two public elementary schools — Decorah Elementary and McLane Elementary — both serving grades K–4 in the West Bend School District, a district ranked in the 71st percentile statewide. Together the two schools enroll 689 students (349 at Decorah, 340 at McLane), and on paper they look almost like twins: about 35% of students at each qualify for free or reduced lunch, class sizes are nearly the same (13.1 vs. 13.4 students per teacher), and per-student spending differs by only about $166.
McLane Elementary is the standout. It has earned a 4-star rating in each of the last three school years, and in both 2024-25 and 2025-26 it scored above the district and above the state in all six subject-and-grade test measures. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 2.3% is the most dramatic difference: it's roughly 40% of Decorah's 5.8%, about a quarter of the district's 8.8%, and roughly one-seventh of the state's 17.3%. Test results dipped at McLane in 2025-26, narrowing the gap with Decorah — but the narrowing came from McLane easing back, not Decorah catching up.
Decorah Elementary has real strengths too. Grade-4 math (69.35% proficient), science, and social studies all beat the state, and its 5.8% absenteeism is still well below district and state levels. But it has slipped from 4 stars to 3 (77th to 60th percentile), and third-grade English language arts is its persistent weak spot — below both the district and the state in each of the past two years. Parents comparing the two should note that McLane outperforms Decorah in every subject and grade in both years, even though the schools' student populations and resources are nearly the same.
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