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William Wells Brown Elementary

Q: Is William Wells Brown Elementary a good school?

William Wells Brown Elementary ranks 394 th of 685 Kentucky elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

394^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 685 Kentucky Elementary Schools

Better than 42% of Kentucky elementary schools

Summary

William Wells Brown Elementary is a public elementary school in Lexington, Kentucky, serving 303 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Fayette County School District, which is ranked 74 out of 157 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite its higher per-student spending of $33,411 compared to nearby schools, William Wells Brown Elementary has struggled academically in recent years, consistently ranking in the bottom 10% of Kentucky elementary schools. The school's overall SchoolDigger rating has been 0 or 1 star out of 5 since the 2013-2014 school year, indicating poor performance compared to other schools in the state. Its proficiency rates in various subjects and grade levels range from 23% to 57%, well below the Fayette County and state averages.

While William Wells Brown Elementary faces challenges, it has some potential strengths. The school's African American student subgroup has performed relatively well, ranking in the top 30% of Kentucky elementary schools for this group. Additionally, nearby schools like Cassidy Elementary and Ashland Elementary have significantly higher academic performance, suggesting that socioeconomic factors may play a significant role in the school's challenges.

300

Students ?

11.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$33,411

Per pupil spending ?

86%

Free/discounted lunch ?

555 E 5th St
Lexington, KY 40508

(859) 381-4990

District: Fayette County

Students who attend William Wells Brown Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Lexington Trad Magnet School
High:	Frederick Douglass High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

61.7%

Hispanic:

19.3%

White:

9.3%

See top rated Kentucky elementary schools

Compare William Wells Brown Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 1st percentile in 2014 → 42nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 41 percentile points since 2014

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Science scores 14 pts below the Kentucky average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg48%

Kentucky avg44%

394^th of 685

Kentucky public elementary schools ?

Bottom 42%▲ up 40 pts since 2015

From bottom 2% (2015) to bottom 42% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kentucky Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

21^st of 39Elementary Schools in the Fayette County

74^th of 157Fayette County among Kentucky districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	43.5	394 of 685	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.3	449 of 685	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.7	565 of 687	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	6.1	665 of 684	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.7	673 of 700	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.8	674 of 691	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	8.6	665 of 694	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.9	668 of 690	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	6.9	682 of 698	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	2.9	697 of 705	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.3	708 of 719	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.7	675 of 713	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	6.7	655 of 688	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.4	651 of 683	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	70.9	27 of 142	81.0%	★★★★☆
2024	69.6	27 of 140	80.7%	★★★★☆
2023	63.6	29 of 129	77.5%	★★★★☆
2022	22.1	101 of 118	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.8	145 of 185	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.0	147 of 184	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2019	18.2	436 of 474	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	43.9	377 of 648	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.3	343 of 644	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.6	546 of 639	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	7.2	624 of 641	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.4	659 of 671	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.6	645 of 663	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2018	33.5	122 of 153	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	56.8	257 of 672	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.1	388 of 665	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.7	488 of 670	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.6	651 of 667	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	47.9	333 of 653	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.1	495 of 652	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.1	466 of 652	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.0	636 of 676	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.4	652 of 665	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2019	5.4	644 of 661	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2025)81st percentile+39 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)62nd percentile+19 vs school

Male (2025)49th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)42nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2018)20th percentile+18 vs school

Disabled (2019)8th percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2019)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs Kentucky (2024-2025) ?

Editing and Mechanics57%+10 vs state

Social Studies50%+12 vs state

Writing47%+9 vs state

Mathematics41%~ state avg

Reading36%-13 vs state

Science23%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near William Wells Brown Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				KSA Mathematics (2025)			KSA Reading (2025)			KSA Science (2025)	KSA Writing (2025)	KSA Social Studies (2025)	KSA Editing and Mechanics (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KSA Mathematics 3rd Grade	KSA Mathematics 4th Grade	KSA Mathematics 5th Grade	KSA Reading 3rd Grade	KSA Reading 4th Grade	KSA Reading 5th Grade	KSA Science 4th Grade	KSA Writing 5th Grade	KSA Social Studies 5th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
William Wells Brown Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	555 E 5th St	Lexington	40508	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	Yes	(859) 381-4990	300	26	11.6	86.0%	28 (9.3%)	185 (61.7%)	58 (19.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.3%)	43.5	394^th of 685 public elementary schools	42.5%		36.3	449^th of 685 public elementary schools	34.5%	55		25.0	57.0	26.0	30.0	53.0	23.0	47.0	50.0	57.0	$33,411	$1,764	$1,493	$3,528	$23,348	$3,744	$27,092
Ashland Elementary School	Public	K-5	195 N Ashland Ave	Lexington	40502	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	Yes	(859) 381-3243	316	26	12.3	38.9%	177 (56.0%)	61 (19.3%)	42 (13.3%)	10 (3.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.9%)	79.3	112^th of 685 public elementary schools	83.6%		85.7	59^th of 685 public elementary schools	91.4%	53	40.0	71.0	65.0	44.0	75.0	71.0	61.0	46.0	63.0	71.0	$26,734	$613	$1,063	$1,676	$19,057	$2,962	$22,019
George Washington Carver STEM Academy	Public, Magnet	K-5	123 E Sixth St	Lexington	40508	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	Yes	No	No	(859) 381-4670	158	20	7.9	67.7%	13 (8.2%)	114 (72.2%)	7 (4.4%)	7 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (10.8%)	26.1	528^th of 685 public elementary schools	22.9%		42.7	395^th of 685 public elementary schools	42.3%	133	21.0	52.0	38.0	25.0	40.0	38.0	31.0	10.0	31.0	34.0
Homebound Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	701 E Main St	Lexington	40502	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	No	(859) 381-4100	2	15	.1		2 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Arlington Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	122 Arceme Avenue	Lexington	40505	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	Yes	(859) 381-3030	322	29	11.0	84.5%	67 (20.8%)	62 (19.3%)	162 (50.3%)	5 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.8%)	10.8	637^th of 685 public elementary schools	7.0%		11.2	624^th of 685 public elementary schools	8.9%	13	16.0		22.0	27.0	12.0	26.0		33.0	17.0	24.0	$26,369	$632	$1,059	$1,692	$18,617	$3,040	$21,657
Maxwell Spanish Immersion Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	301 Woodland Ave	Lexington	40508	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	Yes	No	No	(859) 381-3516	567	37	15.4	28.7%	298 (52.6%)	80 (14.1%)	122 (21.5%)	7 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (10.4%)	91.2	35^th of 685 public elementary schools	94.9%		88.5	42^nd of 685 public elementary schools	93.9%	7	59.0	68.0	67.0	69.0	71.0	74.0	52.0	73.0	67.0	74.0	$21,929	$582	$949	$1,532	$14,838	$2,759	$17,597
Harrison Elementary School	Public	K-5	161 Bruce St	Lexington	40507	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	Yes	(859) 381-3418	207	25	8.1	87.4%	33 (15.9%)	111 (53.6%)	41 (19.8%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (9.7%)	14.4	614^th of 685 public elementary schools	10.4%					(n/a)				18.0	20.0	37.0		30.0			$36,751	$1,358	$1,359	$2,717	$24,444	$3,517	$27,961
Yates Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	695 E New Circle Rd	Lexington	40505	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	Yes	(859) 381-3613	438	34	12.8	72.6%	113 (25.8%)	130 (29.7%)	151 (34.5%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	35 (8.0%)	14.8	606^th of 685 public elementary schools	11.5%		22.1	558^th of 685 public elementary schools	18.5%	48	20.0	29.0		23.0	20.0	38.0	5.0	40.0	20.0	27.0	$25,204	$886	$1,041	$1,927	$17,392	$2,952	$20,344
Northern Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	340 Rookwood Pkwy	Lexington	40505	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	Yes	(859) 381-3541	424	37	11.4	75.0%	82 (19.3%)	123 (29.0%)	188 (44.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.6%)	14.5	612^th of 685 public elementary schools	10.7%		11	627^th of 685 public elementary schools	8.5%	15			22.0	30.0	31.0	31.0	14.0	37.0		18.0	$25,778	$828	$1,034	$1,862	$17,279	$3,084	$20,362
Cassidy Elementary School	Public	K-5	1125 Tates Creek Road	Lexington	40502	Fayette County	Fayette County	No	No	No	No	(859) 381-3018	632	44	14.3	31.6%	414 (65.5%)	78 (12.3%)	72 (11.4%)	18 (2.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	47 (7.4%)	93	18^th of 685 public elementary schools	97.4%		94.7	9^th of 685 public elementary schools	98.7%	9	80.0	80.0	66.0	80.0	76.0	69.0	62.0	68.0	57.0	66.0	$22,407	$896	$949	$1,845	$14,794	$2,968	$17,761

Frequently Asked Questions about William Wells Brown Elementary

What district is William Wells Brown Elementary in?

Fayette County

How many students attend William Wells Brown Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 300 students attended William Wells Brown Elementary.

Is William Wells Brown Elementary a good school?

William Wells Brown Elementary ranks 394^th of 685 Kentucky elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of William Wells Brown Elementary?

Students at William Wells Brown Elementary are 62% African American, 19% Hispanic, 9% White, 9% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of William Wells Brown Elementary attend?

Students who attend William Wells Brown Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lexington Trad Magnet School
High : Frederick Douglass High School

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Kentucky Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.