The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 28% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Brunswick Elementary
Brunswick Elementary sits in the small city of Brunswick, a historic B&O Railroad town on the Potomac River that has reshaped itself into a commuter hub for Washington, D.C., via MARC rail. The city’s downtown along Potomac Street holds a mix of shops, restaurants, a brewpub, and a café in a restored church that hosts live music most nights. Annual events like Railroad Days and a farmers’ market anchor community life. Brunswick has grown rapidly over recent years, and its housing market reflects that pressure: home values and rents have risen considerably, and the typical commute is long, a pattern familiar to many families who choose this area for its small-town feel and rail access. The local schools are central to that choice, and Brunswick Elementary is the only public elementary school within city limits, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
Academically, the picture is mixed. On the Maryland state assessments, reading and English language arts scores are the school’s stronger showing, with a solid majority of third, fourth, and fifth graders meeting the proficiency threshold. Math scores are lower and trend downward as grade levels rise: third graders perform better than fourth graders, and fifth graders fall further behind. Science results, tested only in fifth grade, are notably weaker, with roughly a quarter of students reaching proficiency. These numbers place Brunswick Elementary in a range where a parent may want to explore what the school is doing to address the math and science gaps, especially as students approach the transition to middle school. No multi-year trend data is available to show whether scores are improving or declining over time, and the school’s performance cannot be directly compared against other Frederick County elementary schools because the comparison set had only one district’s data at this level.
The student body is majority white, with Black and Hispanic students each making up a sizeable minority and smaller shares of Asian and multiracial students. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a measure that indicates a moderate level of economic diversity. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and no special programs—such as gifted, dual-language, or STEM tracks—were listed in the available data. Information on special education, English learner services, discipline rates, and staffing is also absent, so families with specific support needs would need to follow up directly with the school or district.
Frederick County Public Schools, the parent district, has no recent major changes—such as redistricting, curriculum shifts, or new school construction—that were publicly reported at a level that would clearly affect families at this school. The district brief turned up little, so the default assumption is that the school operates under the district’s standard policies.
Brunswick Elementary serves a growing, largely commuter-oriented community where housing is expensive and the downtown offers a walkable core. Its academic strength is in literacy; its math and science results are areas a parent may want to investigate further. For a family who values neighborhood proximity, a historic setting, and a school that is the only elementary option in town, this is the local choice. For a family prioritizing high test scores in math and science or seeking specialized program options, the available data suggests those are not the school’s leading features.
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