J. Graham Brown School, Louisville KY

Original Research by School Decision on J. Graham Brown School

J. Graham Brown School is a single-building K-12 public school in downtown Louisville, part of the Jefferson County Public Schools district. It serves a student body that is diverse by race and economic background, with a majority of white students and a substantial presence of Black, two-or-more-races, Asian, and Hispanic students. Just over a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is one of the older public schools in the city, and it occupies a compact downtown site.

The academic picture is one of a school where performance rises noticeably as students get older. In the elementary grades, state assessment results in math and reading are mixed. Reading proficiency in third, fourth, and fifth grades is solid, with a majority of students meeting the bar each year. Math in those same grades is weaker. In fourth and fifth grade math, fewer than a third of students are proficient. Elementary science and social studies results show about half or fewer students reaching proficiency. The pattern shifts meaningfully in middle school. Sixth grade reading proficiency is very high, and seventh and eighth grade reading is strong as well. Math results in grades six through eight are also strong, with three-quarters of students proficient in sixth grade and similar levels in seventh and eighth. Social studies in eighth grade is a bright spot, with a large majority of students proficient.

That upward trajectory is a central feature of this school. A family looking at the elementary results will see a school where early literacy is a relative strength and early math is a soft spot that warrants attention. A family considering the middle grades will see a program where most students are meeting state standards across subjects. The school does not post high school state assessment data here, so a parent considering the upper grades would want to ask about performance on end-of-course exams and about college readiness indicators.

The school is a regular public school, not a charter or a magnet. It draws students from across the district through a choice process. The downtown setting means the building is not surrounded by a large campus or suburban grounds. Parents should expect a more urban environment with the amenities and challenges that come with it.

Housing in the area is expensive relative to state and national benchmarks. The typical home value is well above the Kentucky median. Rents are also at a level where a standard mortgage is only slightly more than monthly rent, which suggests a competitive rental market. The economic context is one of stable but not booming national conditions, with unemployment near a normal long-term rate.

The school operates within Jefferson County Public Schools. The district brief did not turn up specific recent changes or strategic initiatives, so a parent with questions about district-level priorities such as boundary adjustments, program funding, or transportation policies should check directly with the district office.

When placed against the small number of districts in Jefferson County, the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint. That is a useful reference point, but the cohort is limited in size. The comparison does not include graduation rate because that data was not provided here. Given that this is a K-12 school, a parent looking for a single campus where a child can start in kindergarten and finish twelfth grade will find that continuity built in.

The peer environment is mixed in the early grades and becomes more academically aligned by middle school. For a family weighing this option, the key question is how the elementary math numbers matter to them and whether the middle school strength offsets that. The school's own data suggests it is a place where students often hit their stride after the primary years.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 52 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

314 schools plotted. 35 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 30% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 31% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 30% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 677%

School 77% · District 28% · ▲ 49 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Grade 768%

School 68% · District 31% · ▲ 37 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 874%

School 74% · District 28% · ▲ 46 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 47 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 34% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 37% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 38% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 688%

School 88% · District 39% · ▲ 49 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 56 pts above county median

Grade 773%

School 73% · District 36% · ▲ 37 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 30% · ▲ 38 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

Science

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 25% · ▲ 13 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 753%

School 53% · District 20% · ▲ 33 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 27% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 870%

School 70% · District 28% · ▲ 42 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

This schoolJefferson 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-income33%Higher-income73%40 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income69%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income71%Higher-income73%2 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income58%Higher-income72%14 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income27%Higher-income61%34 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income61%Higher-income73%12 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income68%Higher-income75%7 pp gap