The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Elementary School at Brainard
Elementary School at Brainard serves the village of Brainard and surrounding areas of Butler County as part of East Butler Public Schools, the district that also covers higher grades. This is a regular public school for pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, and its enrollment is about as small as an elementary school gets. Nearly all students are white, with a very small Hispanic population and a handful of students identifying as two or more races. Data on how many students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is not available, so that marker of economic need is an open question for a family to ask the school directly.
The school sits in Brainard, a very small rural village founded along the Union Pacific Railroad by Czech settlers and still home to a modest, car-dependent farming community. Housing values in the area are near the state benchmark, though values have been rising at a pace above the national trend. Homeownership is the norm here, and the local economy is built around construction, educational services, and food service jobs, with no single large employer dominating.
State testing data for the 2024-25 school year shows results that warrant some attention. Proficiency rates across math, English language arts, and science in every tested grade from third through sixth are reported at zero percent. The multi-year trend data, however, tells a more complicated story. A five-year trend for English language arts shows proficiency rates that moved from below the midpoint to the high range before landing at the same zero percent mark as the single-year data. The math trend follows a similar pattern, with rates that were in the mid-range before falling. Science has a four-year trend that is flat at the same low level. This inconsistency between the multi-year trend and the most recent single-year result is unusual; a parent may want to ask the school or district directly about what changed in the 2024-25 testing year.
The comparison fact-set places the school in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency among districts in Butler County, which includes only two districts total, so that position comes from a very small group of peers.
Because this school serves only through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, special education enrollment, and English learner population is also absent from available sources. Details on specific program offerings, such as enrichment, specials, or gifted services, are not included in the available data either.
The village itself is small enough that school and civic life are wrapped together. City Hall on Washington Street holds monthly board meetings and maintains a display of historic photographs. The community has held hometown festivals and other local events. There is no mention of parks, a public library, or public transit in available sources; daily life in Brainard runs on car travel.
This is a school that, on the most recent snapshot, reports a stark academic picture. The gap between prior trend data and the current year suggests something that may be worth a direct conversation with the principal or district office. For a family considering this school, the immediate need is to understand what the testing data represents for the students in the building now, and what academic supports are in place.
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