Burroughs-molette Elementary School, Brunswick GA

Original Research by School Decision on Burroughs-molette Elementary School

Burroughs-Molette Elementary School is a public school in Brunswick serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, with a student body that is predominantly Black, a substantial share of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school enrolls students across all early grades, with roughly equal cohort sizes in the lower elementary years, slightly larger fourth-grade enrollment, and a student body reflecting the demographics and economic circumstances of the immediate Brunswick area.

The most recent state testing data shows that academic proficiency across the school is low. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from around nine percent in fourth grade to around sixteen percent in third grade and twenty percent in fifth grade. Mathematics proficiency is slightly higher, ranging from around twenty percent in fifth grade to around twenty-four percent in third grade and thirty percent in fourth grade. Science proficiency in fifth grade is around twenty-four percent. These results indicate that the majority of students are not meeting state proficiency standards in core subjects at the grades tested. The state testing data available is from a single year, so trend information is not available.

Brunswick itself is a historic coastal port city anchored by downtown revitalization, tourism, healthcare, federal law enforcement training, port and logistics operations, and manufacturing. The city center features a walkable, Savannah-style grid of streets and squares with ongoing restoration of Victorian-era buildings, restaurants, and shops. Outside the historic core, the broader area is more auto-oriented. Current development includes new residential subdivisions and missing-middle housing projects in Glynn County, plus revival of a long-stalled waterfront redevelopment project at Liberty Harbor. Home values in the zip code have declined year-over-year, though rental prices remain relatively stable. The median household income regionally is in a mid-range, and unemployment is modest.

Glynn County Schools approved a new education sales tax for capital improvements through the remainder of the decade, securing funding for facility upgrades, technology, safety, and buses. Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, the district implemented a bell-to-bell personal electronics ban for all K-12 students, prohibiting phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and tablets during class, hallways, and recess, with confiscation for repeat violations. This represents a significant shift in classroom culture and daily communication between families and students. The district also did not opt out of Georgia's new homestead exemption policy, which affects long-term property tax bills for homeowners in the area.

A parent or resident considering this school should understand that it serves a community with significant economic need and that current state proficiency rates are low across tested grades and subjects. The school's location in Brunswick places it in a port city with ongoing downtown investment and new residential growth, though housing values have declined recently. The district's capital funding plan and classroom discipline policy are material decisions that will shape the school environment for the next several years.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 46% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 50% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 45% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 316%

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

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

Grade 49%

School 9% · District 40% · ▼ 31 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 42% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Science

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 45% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Social studies

Grades 3-852%

School 52% · district not reported

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

This schoolGlynn 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.