The top reported proficiency rate is 75% in English language arts. The lowest is 53% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Brunson Elementary
Brunson Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in the small, rural town of Brunson, South Carolina. The school is part of the Hampton County public school district. For a family considering this school, the student body is small and the setting is one of the most rural Lowcountry communities in the state.
The student population is predominantly white, with a substantial minority of Black students and a smaller number of students who identify as two or more races. Hispanic students make up a very small share of enrollment. Every student at Brunson Elementary qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a marker of the economic profile of the community the school serves. The school itself is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet.
On state assessments, Brunson Elementary shows a mixed picture that varies by subject and grade level. In English language arts, the school’s proficiency rates across third through sixth grade are strong, falling in a range that is consistently above the midpoint in each tested grade. This is a clear area of strength for the school. In mathematics, the results are more uneven. In third and fourth grade, less than half of students scored at the proficient level, a softer spot that a parent may want to inquire about with the school. Performance improves in fifth grade, where a majority of students met the proficiency bar, and rises further in sixth grade, where roughly two-thirds were proficient. Science results are available for fourth and sixth grade. In fourth grade, just under half of students were proficient, while in sixth grade the share rose comfortably above a simple majority. Across all tested subjects, the school’s overall proficiency in English language arts clearly outpaces its performance in math and science. The only year of data available in the multi-year trend makes it impossible to tell whether this pattern is stable or shifting.
Because Brunson Elementary does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The absence of a graduation rate is a function of the school’s grade span, not an omission. No data on chronic absenteeism or discipline was available in the source material, so a parent interested in those aspects of the school environment would need to follow up directly with the school or district.
Housing in the Brunson ZIP code is far more affordable than the state average, though home values have seen a moderate decline in recent months. The town itself is very small and quiet, with a handful of civic anchors — a town hall, a historic octagonal museum, a post office, and a volunteer fire department — but no public library or public transit. The population has been static or declining. Major employers are not evident locally, and residents likely commute to Hampton or other nearby towns for work. The school sits at 34 College Street within this compact residential grid.
For a family looking for a small, rural elementary school where English language arts performance is a consistent strength and where their child would attend school alongside peers from a low-income community, Brunson Elementary fits that profile. Parents concerned about math and science proficiency in the early grades may want to understand what supports are in place. The school is the only elementary option in its immediate area within this district, so a family’s decision here is also a decision about the broader Hampton County system.
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