Gilson Brown Elem School, Godfrey IL

Original Research by School Decision on Gilson Brown Elem School

Gilson Brown Elementary is a small school serving kindergarten and first grade in Godfrey, Illinois, as part of Alton Community Unit School District 11. The school sits on West Delmar Avenue in a growing residential village about 35 to 40 miles north of St. Louis, where new subdivisions and highway improvements are driving steady population growth and construction activity.

The school enrolls a small population across its two grades. The student body is racially and ethnically mixed, with roughly half white students, a substantial share of Black students, and smaller numbers of Hispanic and multiracial students. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and special education enrollment were not available. Because the school serves only kindergarten and first grade, it does not participate in Illinois state testing; the academic performance data shown comes from the district's upper elementary grades (third through fifth), and those results tell a cautionary story. Across math and English language arts, proficiency rates for students at Gilson Brown's grade band are in the lower range. Math proficiency in the higher grades sits well below state averages, and English language arts proficiency is similarly low. Science results for fifth grade show a slightly higher rate, though the assessment changed that year. A parent may want to look into the school's curriculum approach and what support systems are in place as students progress into tested grades. The district is currently engaged in "Reimagine Alton," a multi-year community engagement initiative with workshops throughout the 2025-2026 school year designed to shape curriculum and school culture decisions; the final committee report to the school board in June 2026 will outline the district's priorities going forward.

When compared to other school buildings in Madison County that serve tested grades, Gilson Brown's upper-grade proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among county schools, a position that reflects both the challenges the school faces and the need to understand what interventions or teaching shifts are underway.

Godfrey itself is a car-dependent village built around subdivisions, parks, and commercial corridors rather than a walkable downtown. Housing costs are moderate relative to national benchmarks, and the area is anchored by Lewis and Clark Community College, retail development along arterial roads, and several large residential communities. Parks like Glazebrook Park, with its trails and community events, serve as civic gathering places. The Alton School District serves both Godfrey and the neighboring city of Alton, so families in Gilson Brown's attendance zone are part of a larger district footprint rather than a single-town school system.

For families considering this school, the key questions center on what instructional changes and supports are emerging from the "Reimagine Alton" process and whether the school's early-grade pedagogy is building a strong foundation for the proficiency challenges evident in later grades. New families in Godfrey's expanding housing market may also want to understand the district's capacity and staffing plans as enrollment grows.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 31% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 32% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 18% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 28% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 37% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 39% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 23% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

This schoolAlton CUSD 11, 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.