Bremen Elementary School, Bremen KY

Original Research by School Decision on Bremen Elementary School

Bremen Elementary School is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in the small, rural Muhlenberg County community of Bremen. The school is part of the Muhlenberg County district, and the town itself has experienced long-term population decline and significant damage from a tornado in late 2021 that destroyed much of its northern section. Housing in Bremen is modest, and the area shows no signs of new growth or development. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate or high school measures to consider.

State testing results from the 2024-25 school year show a mixed picture. In English language arts, roughly half of students in grades three through five met the state’s proficiency standard, with the fourth-grade cohort performing a bit higher than the third and fifth. Math proficiency was lower across all three tested grades, with the highest share reaching proficiency in fourth grade and the lowest in fifth. Science, tested only in fourth grade, saw about two-fifths of students scoring proficient, while social studies, tested only in fifth grade, was lower at roughly one-third proficient. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how instruction addresses these weaker areas, especially in math and social studies. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent a change from prior years.

The student body is heavily homogeneous: the overwhelming majority of students are white, with small shares of Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the area’s economic circumstances. Data on special education identification and English learner status was not provided, and no information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing was available. The school’s enrollment is small for an elementary school serving seven grade levels.

Bremen itself offers very little in the way of a walkable commercial district or civic infrastructure. The town has a post office, a community center, and a walking trail, but it lacks sidewalks, retail, or public transit. The school building is not part of a downtown campus, and most residents likely commute to nearby Central City or Greenville for work and services. The broader Muhlenberg County district did not report any recent strategic changes or initiatives that would directly affect a family’s decision about this school.

For a family considering this school, the primary takeaway is that Bremen Elementary offers a small, rural setting with a very similar student body and a community that has faced significant hardship. Academic proficiency is uneven, with reading closer to the halfway mark and math, science, and social studies trailing behind. The absence of program offerings, staffing data, or trend information makes it difficult to assess how the school is addressing those gaps. Parents who value a close-knit, low-growth rural environment may find the school a fit, but those concerned about academic outcomes will want to ask detailed questions about instruction and support for students who are not yet at the proficient level.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 29% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 41% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 29% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 37% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 42% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 40% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median

Science

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 33% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 27% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median

This schoolMuhlenberg 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income49%Higher-income52%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income61%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income53%Higher-income50%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income26%Higher-income44%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income39%Higher-income57%18 pp gap