The top reported proficiency rate is 63% in Science. The lowest is 57% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Oliver Brown Elementary
Oliver Brown Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Manhattan-Ogden school district. The school is located in Manhattan, a college town anchored by Kansas State University and the largest employer in the area, with the district itself ranking as the second-largest employer. The city sits on a floodplain at the junction of the Kansas and Big Blue rivers, surrounded by the Flint Hills, and its economy draws on both the university and nearby Fort Riley, a major Army installation. The locale gives the school a stable, institutionally supported context, with a mix of families tied to the university, the military, and the broader community.
State testing results from the Kansas Assessment Program provide a picture of academic performance for grades three through five. Across tested subjects and grades, Oliver Brown’s overall proficiency index sits well above the middle point when compared with other elementary schools in Pottawatomie County. In reading, third graders showed a strong proficiency rate, fifth graders also performed well, and fourth graders were at a lower level that a parent may want to ask the school about. In math, results followed a similar pattern: third and fifth graders posted solid proficiency rates, while fourth graders were lower. In science, where only fifth grade is tested, the proficiency rate was comparable to the school’s stronger reading and math results. Because the state changed its cut scores for these assessments around this time, direct year-over-year comparisons are not possible, but the single-year picture is one of a school that generally meets or exceeds the typical performance in its county.
The school enrolls a predominantly white student body, with noticeable shares of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races, and smaller shares of Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate lower than the national average and consistent with a relatively affluent local economy. The median household income in the area is above the national figure, and unemployment rates tracked during this period were modest. No data were available on special education identification or English learner status, and the school’s Title I status was not reported, so it is not possible to assess how these dimensions of student support are addressed from the data provided.
Housing in the area reflects a moderately priced market compared with national benchmarks. Home values and rents are slightly above the Kansas average, and both have been rising gradually. The estimated monthly mortgage payment and rent are close enough that renting versus buying is a realistic choice for many families. The school itself is relatively new, built with district growth in mind; the district has been an active employer and a driver of residential development in the city.
Oliver Brown Elementary does not serve grades beyond fifth, so there is no graduation rate or high school pathway data to consider. The district’s strategic priorities were not surfaced in publicly available research, and the school’s profile does not include information on discipline, attendance, course access, or staffing ratios. For a family evaluating this school, the strongest evidence available is the testing record, which shows a school performing comfortably above its county peers in multiple grades and subjects. The community context is one of a stable college town with a mix of university and military families, and the school’s size is moderate for an elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade.
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