COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – The first year of a new initiative aimed at helping struggling elementary students in the Muscogee County School District is now complete. Focused on kindergarten through second grade, the program emphasizes reading, science, and math—and leaders say it’s already showing strong results.
A year ago, families of more than 300 students were informed that their children needed to attend Brewer Elementary due to falling behind in core subjects like reading and math. Now, after the first year, over 90% of those students are back on track.
“We have officially concluded the first year at Brewer. We have seen growth in our students socially, emotionally, and academically,” said Principal Karprice Bentley-Brown of Brewer Elementary. “We have at least 95 percent of our students who have exceeded student achievement and overall academic growth.”
Students who previously attended Dorothy Heights, Martin Luther King, and J.D. Davis elementary schools during the 2023–2024 school year were rezoned to Brewer Elementary for 2024–2025. The initiative was designed to boost reading, science, and math skills for children in kindergarten through second grade.
“Prior to her going over there, my baby couldn’t really read that good. Since she went over there, my baby can read a whole lot better,” said parent Danielle Hall. “She came from not being able to read to now being able to read a whole book by herself.”
Hall’s daughter, Trinity, was in second grade at Brewer Elementary when the initiative began. Danielle says she was nervous about transferring her child from Martin Luther King to Brewer, but she’s seen a noticeable change in her daughter’s confidence and eagerness to learn.
“My baby was actually nervous prior to going over there, but now she’s not,” Hall added. “She’ll actually sit down with other kids and be like, ‘Come on, let’s go do this or do that.’ So, I’m very confident in my baby and where she is going to go because she’s come a long way.”
Principal Bentley-Brown says student progress is tracked through three standardized tests throughout the year. She credits the program’s success to the learning protocols in place.
“We are definitely grateful for our class size of 14 to 1. The teachers are able to personalize learning, meet with the students individually every single day or in small groups based on their skill levels. So that definitely attributes to the growth,” she said.
