The top reported proficiency rate is 64% in English language arts. The lowest is 43% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on David T. Wilson Elementary
David T. Wilson Elementary serves fourth through sixth grade in Brandenburg, Kentucky, as part of the Meade County public school district. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The school sits in a small Ohio River town roughly a forty-minute drive southwest of Louisville, a community that describes itself as growing modestly after being rebuilt following a devastating tornado decades ago. Brandenburg's civic life centers on a riverfront park, the county courthouse, and a public library; most daily errands beyond the downtown core likely require a car.
Wilson is a focused upper-elementary and middle-grade school. It enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population making up the next largest group and small shares of students who are Black, Asian, or multiracial. Nearly half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker that a substantial portion of families have lower household incomes. Housing costs in the area sit above the statewide benchmark but below the national figure, suggesting a moderately priced market relative to the rest of the country.
State testing results from the most recent school year are available in reading, math, science, and social studies. Wilson's proficiency rates in reading are solid across the grades it serves. The rate for fourth graders landed near the three-fifths mark, fifth graders were at about the same level, and sixth graders reached just above two-thirds. These figures indicate a consistent pattern of a clear majority of students meeting the state’s proficiency standard in English language arts.
Math results are more mixed. Fourth graders posted a proficiency rate near three-fifths, fifth graders fell to just under half, and sixth graders rebounded to a rate around three-fifths once more. The dip at fifth grade is a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school to understand the pattern. In the subjects tested less frequently, fourth graders recorded a science proficiency rate near the halfway point, and fifth graders in social studies came in below that mark. These are areas where the school’s performance is weaker, and a parent interested in a well-rounded academic profile might ask how the school supports learning in those fields.
No data on chronic absenteeism, discipline incidents, staffing ratios, or special education identification rates were available for this school. Similarly, no course access information, such as whether the school offers accelerated or intervention programs in the upper grades, was provided. A parent trying to gauge the school’s climate or the breadth of its academic offerings beyond tested subjects would be working from an incomplete picture and should seek that information directly from the school.
The district’s context is also quiet. The search for recent changes to Meade County’s policies, staffing, or facilities turned up little of lasting impact, so that dimension is not included here. The school sits alone in its county for this comparison, so no relative positioning against neighboring districts is possible.
For a family considering Brandenburg, Wilson Elementary offers a straightforward upper-elementary through middle-grade experience in a small-town Kentucky setting. The reading results are a consistent strength across all three grades. Math and science scores are more uneven, and the fifth-grade math dip in particular is worth a conversation. The school serves a predominantly white student body with a notable share of families using the free or reduced-price lunch program, set in a community that is growing slowly and values its riverfront identity. Without disciplinary or staffing data, a parent’s best next step is a visit and a direct conversation with the principal.
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