These CT Schools Are Racially Imbalanced: State

CONNECTICUT — The state Department of Education has released its annual racially imbalanced schools report that found four schools continue to have an imbalance, two more reached official imbalance levels and several others are approaching the threshold.

Under Connecticut law, a school is considered “racially imbalanced” if the number of minority students in that school is 25 percentage points more than a comparable proportion of the district. For example, a school that has a minority pupil population of 50 percent when the district as a whole is 25 percent minority pupils would be considered imbalanced.

The schools considered imbalanced are New Lebanon School and Hamilton Avenue School in Greenwich, McKinley School in Fairfield, Lake Street School in Vernon, Charter Oak International Academy in West Hartford and Church Street School in Hamden. All the schools except Lake Street have a greater proportion of minority students than the district as a whole. In Lake Street’s case it has less minority students than the district average.

There are another 26 schools that have imbalances greater than 15 and lower than 25 percent.

Local board of education entities must submit plans to the State Board of Education to correct imbalances for approval.

The State Board Of Education conditionally approved Fairfield Board of Education’s plan to look into turning McKinley into a magnet school, which could reduce the school’s minority population by two or three percentage points.

The school district also anticipates that renovations at Holland Hill, Roger Sherman and potentially Mill Hill schools could help balance enrollment.

Charter Oak International Academy in West Hartford was expanded to allow students outside the school’s attendance zone to enroll in the magnet program, but it will take several years to reduce the imbalance, according to the report.

New Lebanon and Hamilton Avenue schools in Greenwich continue to be imbalanced. New Lebanon underwent expansion and the school district has been marketing the magnet program. The Greenwich Board of Education is auditing ts plans to determine whether additional steps need to be taken.

Here are the imbalanced schools:

And here are the schools approaching imbalance: