The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in Math. The lowest is 58% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Barry Hahn Primary School
Barry Hahn Primary School serves the youngest students in Meade County, from prekindergarten through third grade, in Brandenburg, a small home rule-class city that sits on the Ohio River roughly forty miles southwest of Louisville. The city is the county seat, and the school operates as a regular public school within the district, not a charter or magnet. Because it teaches only the earliest grades, outcomes that apply to high schools, such as graduation rate and college-course access, are not relevant here; the academic picture is built from third-grade state testing.
In math, a majority of third graders scored at or above the proficient level on the Kentucky Summative Assessment. In English language arts, the share was lower but still above half. These results give a parent a baseline for how children in this building are performing by the end of primary school. The district is the only one in Meade County, so no within-county comparison among districts is possible, and the state test is the primary reference for academic standing.
The school enrolls a large student body for an elementary that caps at third grade, with enrollment spread across prekindergarten, kindergarten, first, second, and third grades. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating that many families in the community rely on the school as a source of meals and economic support. The student body is overwhelmingly white, with Hispanic students making up a small share and even smaller numbers of Black, Asian, multiracial, and other backgrounds present. Information on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the data provided; a parent who needs to understand those supports should ask the school directly for current counts and program offerings.
Brandenburg itself is a place with clear civic anchors. Riverfront Park, a fifteen-acre downtown space on the Ohio River with a playground, walking trail, amphitheaters, and a campground, hosts a summer concert series and the Meade County Fair. The county courthouse and the Meade County Public Library are also in town. The downtown is traditional and compact, but the city covers a small geography, and going beyond the core by car is typical; no public transit was mentioned in available sources. The population is growing modestly, and the city’s own website describes it as a small town still growing. Housing values in the area are somewhat above the state benchmark but below the national median, and the combination of a moderate mortgage payment relative to national rent levels suggests a market that is not out of reach for many families, though each household’s budget varies. The unemployment rate nationally was just above four percent during the period examined, and real median household income at the national level has held relatively steady.
A notable piece of the town’s history: Brandenburg was devastated by a powerful tornado that destroyed a large number of homes and businesses, and the community rebuilt afterward. That context is part of the place, though the school data itself does not speak to any current effects.
The district brief for Meade County, which is the parent district for Barry Hahn, turned up little in the way of recent changes of lasting impact. A parent looking for new programs, boundary shifts, or strategic initiatives would want to check directly with the district office or school board, as the available web research did not surface those details.
For a family deciding whether this school fits, the core fact is that it is a three-grade primary building with solid but not top-tier test results in third grade, a large enrollment, and a student body that is economically diverse within a mostly white demographic. The school does not offer high school pathways, career programs, or any of the measures that matter for older students; its job is foundational literacy and math. The community around it is a small, growing county seat with a riverfront park as its social heart, typical small-town amenities, and a housing market that is more affordable than the national average. A parent who wants to know about special education, gifted services, or class sizes will need to go beyond this profile and ask the school directly, since those details were not available in the data.
See more original research from School Decision →