3 Avon Schools Earn State Distinction As District Jumps To 5th Among Peers

AVON, CT — Three Avon elementary and intermediate schools have earned statewide recognition for student academic growth, while Avon Public Schools has climbed from 15th to fifth place among 21 comparable Connecticut school districts.

Pine Grove School, Thompson Brook School and Roaring Brook School were named 2025-26 Schools of Distinction for High Growth by the Connecticut State Department of Education, according to accountability results released Oct. 27.

The three schools were among 138 statewide to receive the designation.

Meanwhile, Avon Public Schools' overall Accountability Index increased from 81.0 to 83.3, placing the district fifth among the 21 districts in its District Reference Group, known as DRG B.

The district ranked 15th in the same group the previous year.

Connecticut uses District Reference Groups to compare school systems with similar demographic characteristics.

Avon's score of 83.3 exceeded the DRG B median of 82.5 and the statewide index of 72.2.

Only Madison (86.3), Woodbridge (85.5), Greenwich (85.4), and Glastonbury (83.4) scored higher among districts in Avon's peer group.

"Three Schools of Distinction in a single year is a tribute to our students and to the teachers and staff who challenge and support them every day," Avon Superintendent Bridget Heston Carnemolla said.

"We saw strong growth for every group of learners, especially our high-needs students. We are proud of this progress, and we will keep building on it together."

Three Schools Recognized For Academic Growth

Each of the three Avon schools received recognition for improvements in student academic growth, although their areas of distinction varied.

• Pine Grove School (kindergarten through fourth grade): Recognized for high growth in English language arts and mathematics among all students, as well as mathematics growth among high-needs students. Math growth reached 86.5 percent of the state's target, while growth among high-needs students reached 79.5 percent. The school's Accountability Index increased 5.7 points to 81.4. Literacy progress among English learners rose from 73.9 percent to 92.6 percent.
• Thompson Brook School (fifth and sixth grades): Recognized for high growth in English language arts and mathematics among all students. The school recorded the district's largest Accountability Index increase, climbing 8.2 points from 71.2 to 79.4. Math growth reached 86.6 percent of the state's target, while English language arts growth reached 76.5 percent. The science achievement gap for high-needs students narrowed from 15.4 to 7.9 points.
• Roaring Brook School (preschool through fourth grade): Recognized for high growth in English language arts among all students. Growth increased from 61.8 percent to 84.2 percent of the state's target, while the school's Accountability Index improved from 76.7 to 80.6.

District Reports Gains In Math, Reading

The district also reported improvements in English language arts and mathematics across its schools.

Math growth among all students increased from 75.3 percent to 80.9 percent of the state's target, compared with 60.9 percent statewide.

Among high-needs students, math growth increased 8.7 percentage points to 70.1 percent.

English language arts growth among all students increased from 66.1 percent to 74.7 percent of the state's target.

Among high-needs students, English language arts growth rose 11.5 percentage points to 65.9 percent.

All four growth measures exceeded both statewide results and the median for Avon's peer group, according to the district.

The district also reported narrowing achievement gaps between high-needs students and their peers.

The English language arts achievement gap decreased from 13.2 to 10.2 points, while the mathematics gap narrowed from 17.1 to 13.3 points.

At Avon Middle School, English language arts growth among high-needs students increased from 49.3 percent to 68.3 percent.

The district's English language arts Performance Index increased from 76.8 to 79.1, while its mathematics Performance Index rose from 74.2 to 76.7.

Both scores exceeded the DRG B medians of 76.5 and 75.2, respectively.

Literacy progress among English learners also improved, reaching 84.6 percent, an increase of 18.2 percentage points. The statewide figure was 59 percent.

College Readiness And Graduation Rates

Avon also reported results exceeding statewide averages in several measures of college readiness and graduation.

According to the district:

• College enrollment: 87.9 percent of Avon graduates enrolled in college or other postsecondary education, compared with 67.4 percent statewide and 84.2 percent among DRG B districts.
• College and career readiness: 76.6 percent of students passed college- and career-readiness exams, an increase of 4.9 percentage points. The statewide rate was 49.9 percent. Avon High School's rate was 79 percent.
• Graduation: Avon High School's four-year graduation rate increased 2 percentage points to 96.6 percent. The districtwide rate was 95 percent, compared with 91.2 percent statewide.
• Ninth-grade progress: 99.1 percent of Avon ninth-graders were considered on track academically, compared with 87.7 percent statewide.
• Attendance: Chronic absenteeism declined from 11 percent to 10.1 percent, below the statewide rate of 16.4 percent.

The state's Next Generation Accountability System measures school and district performance using multiple indicators, including academic achievement, student growth, graduation rates, college readiness, and attendance.

Student growth percentages represent the portion of the state's growth target achieved, rather than the percentage of students meeting grade-level proficiency standards.\

Avon Public Schools serves students from preschool through 12th grade at Avon Preschool, Roaring Brook School, Pine Grove School, Thompson Brook School, Avon Middle School and Avon High School.

The results are available through the Connecticut State Department of Education's EdSight website.