The top reported proficiency rate is 23% in English language arts. The lowest is 22% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Green City Elem.
Green City Elementary is a small regular public school in the Green City R-I district, serving students from prekindergarten through fifth grade. It is the only elementary school in the district and, given the town’s size, sits within or very near the historic downtown square that defines this rural community. The school is located in Green City, a town in northeast Sullivan County with deep agricultural roots, a modest commercial core, and a population that has been in long-term decline for decades. The district’s high school shares the same compact setting, so this is a school environment where families and faculty are likely to know one another well.
The student body is predominantly white, with a small Hispanic population and very few students identifying as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker that reflects the area’s economic base, which relies on manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, and health care as the largest employment sectors. The school’s enrollment by grade shows a fairly even distribution across kindergarten through fifth grade, with prekindergarten also offered, indicating stable cohorts entering year after year.
On state assessments, the picture is mixed and incomplete. For math in the tested grades, proficiency rates were reported for third and fourth grade, and in both cases roughly one in five students scored at the proficient or above level. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, since the numbers represent a small testing group and the pattern is consistent across those two grades. Fifth-grade math results were suppressed, as were nearly all English language arts results for fourth and fifth grade, and the fifth-grade science results. The only ELA result available to review was for third grade, where proficiency was also around one in five. The data suppression, which appears tied to small group sizes, makes it difficult to draw a full picture of academic performance across the school. The comparison with other districts in Sullivan County places Green City Elementary’s overall proficiency index above the midpoint, though the cohort includes only two reporting entities, so the comparison is narrow.
The school’s size has both practical and social implications. Classrooms are small, and total enrollment is small enough that a parent sending a child into kindergarten will find a class of roughly that same size. There is no public transit in town, and the built environment is sparse and rural, so families drive their children to school and to most activities. Street life is minimal outside of organized community events like the annual Green City Fun Days held around the town square.
For families considering this school, the main attributes are straightforward. It is a small, tight-knit public elementary school in a shrinking rural town, serving a population with moderate economic challenges. The district had no publicly reported recent changes such as referendums, curriculum shifts, or property tax changes that would affect families, so the academic trajectory and program offerings appear stable if not deeply documented. The housing market in Green City is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, and median property values are low, which matters for families looking to buy in the district. The absence of a public library in town and the distance to Milan for that service is a practical consideration for families who rely on library access.
A parent reading this profile should understand that the school offers the basics of a PK-5 education in a small rural setting, with state test results that suggest room for improvement in core subjects, but with data too limited to make a definitive judgment. The school’s size and the district’s stability mean a family moving here is unlikely to encounter sudden program changes, but they will also find few publicly advertised academic enrichments or specialized programs. The best next step is a direct conversation with the principal or a visit to the school to see how the faculty addresses early literacy and math instruction at those grade levels.
See more original research from School Decision →