Brooks Elementary School, Killen AL

Original Research by School Decision on Brooks Elementary School

Brooks Elementary School serves a broad prekindergarten through sixth grade range in Killen, a small residential town within the Florence-Muscle Shoals metropolitan area known as the Shoals. The school is part of Lauderdale County Schools and operates as a regular public elementary school. The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of students who are Black, Hispanic, Asian, or multiracial. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a mix of household income levels. Data on the share of students with disabilities and English learners was not included in the available records, so a parent may wish to ask the school about those supports directly.

The most recent state assessments show a clear strength in English language arts. Across the tested grades, an overwhelming majority of students met proficiency standards, with the strongest results in the early elementary grades. Mathematics proficiency presents a more uneven picture. While a majority of students met the bar in most grades, one grade level posted a rate that fell below half, which a parent may want to look into further with the school. Science results from the single tested grade level fall in a mid-range zone. When placed against other schools in Lauderdale County, Brooks Elementary sits well above the midpoint on overall proficiency, standing in the top quartile. Only a single year of testing results was reported, so there is no trend data to indicate whether performance is rising or declining.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on discipline, attendance, staffing ratios, and course access was also not available in the provided records.

Killen is a car-dependent town with a quiet, low-density residential character. Civic institutions such as the town hall, police department, and public library are clustered along the highway corridor rather than around a traditional downtown square. The town offers a multi-acre park with walking trails, sports fields, and a boat ramp on a nearby lake. The public library hosts children's storytime, computer classes, and book clubs. The local Lions Club is described as a major community anchor. No public transit system serves the town, and the large majority of residents commute by car to jobs in the broader Shoals area, with health care, construction, and retail as the leading employment sectors.

Housing values in Killen sit slightly above the state benchmark and have seen modest appreciation in recent years. Monthly housing costs are generally lower than the national rent burden, which makes the area relatively affordable compared to many parts of the country. The town's population has been relatively stable with some fluctuation over recent years. The mayor has identified annexation of adjoining property and business growth along Highway 72 as key priorities, suggesting the town is pursuing modest expansion rather than large-scale development. No major new housing developments were mentioned in available sources.

Brooks Elementary sits on its own campus in the broader Brooks area rather than in a downtown setting. The school is one of the larger elementary schools in the county by grade span, and its enrollment gives it the feel of a mid-sized elementary. Because the county contains only two school districts, options for families within the public system are limited to Lauderdale County. The school draws from a community that is predominantly residential, with a stable population and an affordable housing market that may appeal to families looking for a lower-cost alternative to the larger metro areas of the Shoals.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 372%

School 72% · District 59% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 44% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 43% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 654%

School 54% · District 35% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 387%

School 87% · District 75% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 468%

School 68% · District 60% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 579%

School 79% · District 73% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 61% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Science

Grade 452%

School 52% · District 41% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

This schoolLauderdale County, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income64%Higher-income71%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income64%Higher-income87%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income53%Higher-income68%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income57%Higher-income78%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income62%29 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income49%Higher-income59%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income45%Higher-income60%16 pp gap