The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in Math. The lowest is 20% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Brewster Elem
Brewster Elem is the only school in the tiny, rural Thomas County community of Brewster, serving students from prekindergarten through eighth grade. The school is part of the Brewster school district, which according to publicly reported information consists of this elementary school and one other building for upper grades. Because Brewster Elem does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the available state testing data covers only a single tested grade, fifth, for math, English language arts, and science.
State assessment results for the most recent testing year show that in fifth-grade math, about two in five students scored at a proficient level or above. In fifth-grade English language arts, roughly one in five students reached that same benchmark. In fifth-grade science, about three in ten students did. These proficiency rates place the school’s overall academic performance above the midpoint when compared with the other district in Thomas County, a very small cohort that limits the meaningfulness of the comparison. The state changed its cut scores for these assessments in recent years, so trends over time cannot be reliably computed from the available data. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how its younger students are performing, since testing results for grades below fifth are not part of the public record.
The student body is very small, with enrollment spread across ten grade levels from prekindergarten through eighth grade. The grade-level groups range from a handful of students in kindergarten, fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth grades, to slightly larger cohorts of about a dozen in prekindergarten, first, second, third, and seventh. The student population is predominantly white, with a very small number of Black and Hispanic students. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting a moderate level of economic need in the community. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records reviewed.
Brewster itself is a very small rural town that the city’s own website describes as heavily centered around farming and ranching. It originated as a station and shipping point on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. The town covers a compact area, about a square mile of land, and its street grid is walkable end to end, though there is little in the way of commercial street life. City Hall, the school, and residential housing sit within the same small grid rather than on separated campuses. The town’s population has been declining, with an estimate showing a decrease from the most recent census count. No major new housing or commercial development projects appear in publicly available sources. The local economy is agricultural, and no large employers are named in the materials reviewed. Civic anchors are minimal; there is no public library, public park, or public transit system mentioned for the town. The school district itself has a notable athletic history, with the Brewster Bulldogs having won multiple Kansas state high school boys’ basketball championships, per publicly reported information.
Brewster Elem offers a straightforward educational setting for families committed to a rural, small-town life. The school’s small size means that multi-grade groupings and individualized attention are likely the norm, and the academic results, though limited to one tested grade, are mixed. The broader context of a declining local population and minimal local amenities means that the school is very much the center of the community. For families who value deep roots in a place where everyone knows everyone and the school is the hub, this fits. For those looking for a wide range of academic pathways, extensive extracurricular options, or a growing housing market, the available evidence suggests this is not that environment. The lack of information on special education services, English learner support, and the school’s Title I status are gaps a prospective family would want to explore directly with the district.
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