John Robert Lewis Elementary School, Brookhaven GA

Original Research by School Decision on John Robert Lewis Elementary School

John Robert Lewis Elementary School serves children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Brookhaven, a mix-use suburb in DeKalb County just northeast of Atlanta. The school enrolls a relatively small student body, with a roughly even distribution across the elementary grades and a small pre-K cohort.

The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial majority of students coming from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. A large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Demographic data on English learners and students with disabilities were not available.

State assessment results show weak performance across tested subjects and grades. In mathematics, proficiency rates for students in grades three through five each fell below one-fifth. English language arts proficiency was similarly low across the tested grades. Science proficiency, reported for grade five only, was slightly higher but still remained well below half. When averaged across subjects, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among the eight districts in DeKalb County.

John Robert Lewis is a regular public elementary school operated by DeKalb County. The school sits in a residential neighborhood that reflects Brookhaven's character: a blend of mid-century single-family homes and newer townhomes and apartments clustered along commercial corridors. Housing values in the 30319 zip code are modest relative to the region, and rental rates are similarly accessible. The area is somewhat car-dependent outside the Buford Highway commercial strips and parks, though the Peachtree Creek Greenway trail network and MARTA's Brookhaven-Oglethorpe University rail station are within reach.

Brookhaven itself is among the region's fastest-growing cities, driven largely by the opening of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Arthur M. Blank Hospital and Emory University's adjacent medical campus in late 2024. This growth is triggering substantial residential and mixed-use development, including new apartment complexes and housing infill along Buford Highway and other corridors. For families considering the area, the DeKalb County School District is currently undertaking a Student Assignment Project that may reshape school boundaries and consolidate or close schools over the next six to eight years, so parents may want to inquire directly with the school and district about how redistricting could affect assignment and continuity.

The school's current academic results reflect underlying challenges that warrant careful conversation with school leadership about instructional approaches, support programs, and the concrete steps being taken to improve student proficiency in reading and math.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 34% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 35% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 32% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 314%

School 14% · District 30% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 30% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 35% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Science

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 33% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below 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.