The top reported proficiency rate is 35% in Math. The lowest is 33% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Thomas C Brunson Elementary School
Thomas C. Brunson Elementary School in Warren, Arkansas, serves only fourth and fifth graders. This makes it a transitional building between the district’s K-3 elementary and the middle school. The student body is diverse: a substantial share of students are Black, a substantial share are White, and a substantial share are Hispanic, with a smaller number of students who identify as two or more races or as American Indian or Alaska Native. Every enrolled student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the community’s economic conditions. Warren itself is a small county-seat town in rural south Arkansas that has been in a steady population decline since the 1980s. The housing market follows that trend; home values in the area are well below state and national benchmarks, and values have fallen in the past year. For a family considering this school, the context is a district investing heavily in its facilities—recently completing a large capital construction project—and a town where the population and housing market are both contracting.
State testing results for Brunson Elementary show a mixed picture. In fourth grade math, about one in five students scored at the proficient level or above on the Arkansas ATLAS assessment. In fifth grade, the math proficiency rate was notably higher, with about half of students meeting that benchmark. The same pattern appears in English language arts: fourth grade proficiency was around one-quarter of students, while fifth grade proficiency was above two-fifths. Science scores followed a similar upward trend from fourth to fifth grade, though both were below the majority level. The school’s overall proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades is the highest in Bradley County when compared with the other district in the county. This top-quartile position comes from the only two active school districts in the county, so the comparison set is small. Still, within that narrow field, Brunson’s results stand apart. The data do not include chronic absenteeism or graduation rates, which are not applicable for a school that serves only grades four and five.
Warren is a community built on timber, with the Bradley County Courthouse and the annual Pink Tomato Festival as civic anchors. The school sits on Scobey Drive, a residential street near the center of town, and is part of a district that includes a preschool, a separate K-3 elementary, a middle school, and a high school. The district’s graduation rate has been trending upward over the past several school years, which is a relevant signal for families with younger children who will eventually move through the system. Families at Brunson are looking at a small, economically homogenous school where academic performance improves markedly from fourth grade to fifth grade. A parent may want to ask the school directly about instruction and support for fourth graders, since that grade’s proficiency rates are considerably lower than fifth grade’s across all subjects. The district’s recent capital spending suggests that school facilities have seen recent investment, though the specific nature of construction at Brunson is not detailed in the available records. For a family weighing this school, the primary considerations are the two-year structure of the building, the improving scores between fourth and fifth grade, and the economic and demographic realities of a shrinking rural town with very affordable housing.
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