Briarlake Elementary School, Decatur GA

Original Research by School Decision on Briarlake Elementary School

Briarlake Elementary School is a neighborhood school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Decatur, a walkable small city just east of Atlanta. The school enrolls a diverse student body drawn from an economically mixed residential area, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and representation across racial and ethnic groups.

State test results from the most recent assessment show proficiency in the middle range across subjects. In English language arts, fourth-grade students performed at a notably higher rate than third and fifth graders, whose results were lower. Math proficiency was relatively flat across the three tested grades, hovering around the same level. Fifth-grade science proficiency was solid. These results place Briarlake in the top quartile among DeKalb County school districts on overall proficiency, a meaningful anchor point given the district's scale and diversity.

The school sits in Decatur proper, a setting with particular character. The city is compact and walkable, with a mix of downtown offices and retail centered on the historic courthouse square, and neighborhood residential areas radiating outward. Street life is organized around that square, which hosts farmers markets, concerts, and festivals. Most of the city's schools, including Briarlake, are dispersed as neighborhood schools across the roughly four-square-mile city rather than clustered on a separate campus. This arrangement means the school sits within an accessible neighborhood context where families live close to shops, parks, a library, and public transit.

Housing in the Decatur ZIP code runs above state benchmarks, reflecting the town's appeal and walkability. Rental costs have risen modestly year-over-year. The area is experiencing active residential infill, with affordable townhomes and apartments being added within walking distance of downtown, and major development underway just beyond the city limits. For families considering whether to buy or rent in the area, the neighborhood school assignment to Briarlake and its attendance patterns would be one factor among many in those deliberations.

One important context for any family in this part of DeKalb County is the Student Assignment Project, a multi-year redistricting initiative launched in 2024. The district faces roughly six to eight empty seats for every occupied one, and the SAP is exploring significant school closures and boundary reshaping. Though no final recommendations have been issued, this effort could alter school assignments and attendance boundaries district-wide over the coming years, including potentially in Decatur. Parents may want to track publicly reported updates from the district about how this plan could affect schools in their area.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 361%

School 61% · District 34% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 465%

School 65% · District 35% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 32% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 30% · ▲ 34 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 30% · ▲ 45 pts above district

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Grade 554%

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

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Science

Grade 564%

School 64% · District 33% · ▲ 31 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Social studies

Grades 3-891%

School 91% · district not reported

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

This schoolDeKalb 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 3Lower-income33%Higher-income84%51 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income18%Higher-income71%52 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income60%Higher-income82%22 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income34%Higher-income79%45 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income29%Higher-income78%50 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income18%Higher-income79%61 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income70%30 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income27%Higher-income76%49 pp gap