Best Public Schools in West Bend, IA

The city of West Bend, Iowa is home to three schools that serve students from elementary through high school: West Bend-Mallard Elementary School, West Bend-Mallard High School, and West Bend-Mallard Middle School. These schools are part of the West Bend-Mallard Community School District.

Among the standout schools in the district, West Bend-Mallard Elementary School is particularly noteworthy, ranking 3rd out of 574 Iowa elementary schools in 2021-2022 and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school consistently achieves high test scores, with 3rd and 4th-grade students performing above the state average in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. Additionally, the school's low student-teacher ratio of 14.8 suggests a more personalized learning environment. West Bend-Mallard High School has also shown improvement, moving from 244th out of 332 high schools in 2021-2022 to 154th out of 338 in 2023-2024, with a 3-star rating. The high school's strong performance in English Language Arts, with 10th, 11th, and 9th-grade students scoring above the state average, is a notable strength.

While the schools in the West Bend-Mallard district generally perform above the state average in core academic areas, they also face some challenges. The district serves a population with significant socioeconomic challenges, as evidenced by the relatively high free/reduced lunch rates across all three schools, ranging from 35.88% at the elementary school to 51.35% at the middle school. Additionally, the varying student-teacher ratios and spending per student across the schools suggest the district may need to evaluate its staffing and resource allocation to ensure equity and consistency across the different school levels.