The top reported proficiency rate is 68% in Math. The lowest is 57% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Star Elementary
Star Elementary serves the town of Star, a small rural community in northeastern Montgomery County shaped by the rise and fall of hosiery and textile manufacturing. The school is a public elementary campus serving grades pre-kindergarten through fifth, with an enrollment of roughly two hundred seventy students. It sits on South Main Street at the heart of downtown Star, within walking distance of the town's historic commercial core and the Star Public Library.
The student body is predominantly white and Hispanic, with a substantial white plurality and a significant Hispanic population; other racial groups are represented in small numbers. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that reflects both the economic reality of the families Star Elementary serves and the broader economic profile of Montgomery County, officially designated a low-wealth county. The school does not report enrollment counts for students with disabilities or English learners, so those figures are absent from available data.
On state end-of-grade assessments administered in the most recent school year, Star Elementary showed mixed results. Math proficiency was the school's strongest area, with about two-thirds of tested third through fifth graders reaching proficiency. Science proficiency fell somewhat below that mark. English language arts proficiency was notably lower, with roughly half of tested students meeting the standard. Science assessment methodology changed this year, making year-to-year comparisons uncertain for that subject. The school did not report average scale scores or participation rates, and no prior-year data is available to show whether the school is trending in any particular direction.
The town of Star itself is essentially flat in population, with fewer residents now than in previous decades, and no large new residential developments are underway. The economic and civic identity of the place has shifted toward adaptive reuse of shuttered mill buildings and a growing focus on arts and cultural enterprises centered on STARworks, a creative campus housed in a renovated former hosiery mill. Lancer Furniture, an upholstered furniture manufacturer, remains one of Star's largest employers. Housing values in the Star area are modest relative to state and national benchmarks, and the area remains affordable, though the town and county face aging water and sewer infrastructure that has required federal investment to upgrade.
Families moving to or already living in Star should be aware of a significant structural change in the district: Montgomery County consolidated its two traditional high schools into a single new Montgomery Central High School in Troy, located adjacent to Montgomery Community College. This reshapes where every high school student in the county attends, the programs available to them, and commute patterns for families across the five towns the district covers. To finance this project, the county enacted a property tax increase and a sales tax, and took on a long-term federal loan with annual debt service obligations. These are lasting commitments that affect property taxes for homeowners throughout the district.
For elementary-age families, Star Elementary is a small, economically challenged school serving a predominantly working-poor community. The reading results warrant close attention, and a parent may want to look into the school's specific literacy programs and support structures with school leaders directly. A parent considering Star should understand both the academic picture and the broader economic and demographic reality of the town and county in which the school sits.
See more original research from School Decision →