The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in English language arts. The lowest is 42% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Claude Brown Elementary
Claude Brown Elementary serves students from preschool through fifth grade in Troy, Missouri, a fast-growing exurb of St. Louis that is also the Lincoln County seat. The school is part of the Troy R-III district, a system that recently reorganized its high school structure by creating a separate ninth-grade center and shifting the main high school to grades ten through twelve. That change does not affect an elementary school directly but signals a district adjusting to growth.
The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile relative to other districts in Lincoln County. This is a genuine strength. The picture becomes more mixed when you look grade by grade. In third grade, a majority of students met or exceeded state standards in math, and a similar share did so in English language arts. Fifth graders also performed well in ELA, with more than half reaching proficiency. Math results were more uneven. Fourth and fifth grade math proficiency rates were noticeably lower, settling below the half mark. Science, tested only in fifth grade, fell in a similar range. A parent might want to ask the school how it supports students who struggle in math as they move into the upper elementary grades. Fourth grade ELA results were suppressed in the available data, likely due to privacy rules for small groups, so that picture is incomplete.
Claude Brown’s enrollment approaches four hundred students, typical for a mid-sized elementary. The student body is predominantly white, with small percentages of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. About one in four students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a moderate share that reflects the community’s mix of suburban and rural households. The school does not report the share of students with disabilities or English learners in the available data, so a parent should ask about those supports directly.
Troy itself is a community that has grown rapidly in recent years, drawing families who want a lower cost of living within commuting distance of St. Louis. Housing values have risen with the demand, but the area remains more affordable than the metro core. The historic downtown, with its courthouse square and late-nineteenth-century buildings, gives the town a distinct civic center. School buildings are spread across the city rather than clustered on a single campus. The district owns and operates the local library, the Powell Memorial Library, a civic anchor that connects the school system to the broader community. Cuivre River State Park, a large recreational area, lies a short distance northeast.
For a family considering Claude Brown Elementary, the school offers a solid academic foundation, strongest in early literacy and third-grade math. The overall proficiency rate stands out against county peers. The student body is not especially diverse, and the school does not have a magnet or charter designation. It is a regular public school serving a community that is growing and undergoing small structural changes in its secondary schools. The mix of strengths in some grades and soft spots in others is worth a conversation with the principal about how the school addresses those gaps. The housing market in Troy has appreciated, but remains below metro-area averages, and the town’s exurban character means a car is necessary for most errands. Families looking for a growing, moderately affordable exurb with a historic downtown and a school that performs well within its county may find Claude Brown a natural fit.
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