These Are The Best Elementary, Middle Schools In CT, New Ranking Says

CONNECTICUT — New education rankings from U.S. News & World Report aim to give Connecticut parents a snapshot of how their child's school compares to others, compiling a list of the best K-8 schools in the state.

The news outlet based its 2024 Best Elementary and Middle School rankings on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education, focusing on student proficiency in core subject areas.

In Connecticut, the top 10 elementary schools are:

1. West School, New Canaan
2. Sherman School, Fairfield
3. South School, New Canaan
4. Riverside School, Riverside
5. Dwight Elementary School, Fairfield
6. Tokeneke Elementary School, Darien
7. East School, New Canaan
8. Green's Farms School, Westport
9. Hindley Elementary School, Darien
10. Veterans Park Elementary School, Ridgefield

The top 10 middle schools in Connecticut are:

1. Saxe Middle School, New Canaan
2. Eastern Middle School, Riverside
3. House of Arts Letters and Science (Hals) Academy, New Britain
4. Salem Elementary School, Salem
5. Bedford Middle School, Westport
6. Avon Middle School, Avon
7. Middlesex Middle School, Darien
8. Irving A. Robbins Middle School, Farmington
9. E. C. Adams Middle School, Guilford
10. John Read Middle School, Redding

The U.S. News list includes data on more than 79,000 public elementary and middle schools nationwide.

In the analysis, U.S. News looked closely at state assessments of students who were proficient or above-proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts, while also accounting for student backgrounds, achievement in core subjects, and how well schools are educating their students. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.

LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News, said the state and district-level rankings are intended to give parents a snapshot of their child’s school and how well it’s doing within its community.

“Easily accessible data on student-teacher ratio, district spending, and the number of school counselors available at the school can keep parents informed and involved,” Jones said.

To be included in district-level rankings, at least two of the top performing schools must rank in the top 75 percent of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for district-level recognition.