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Higganum, Connecticut - 5 schools
An equity score of 58/100 ranks Regional School District 17 #58 of 174 districts in Connecticut (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $25,698 per pupil, Regional School District 17 ranks #63 of 191 Connecticut districts by per-pupil spending (Connecticut districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,814
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$25,698
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Regional School District 17 operates 5 public schools serving 1,814 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Connecticut. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $25,698 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 191 Connecticut districts by per-pupil spending. See how Connecticut compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 74.8% local, 22.0% state, and 3.2% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 58/100, ranked #58 of 174 in Connecticut against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (14 AP courses district-wide), a 194.9:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 5.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 89.7% White, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Haddam-Killingworth High School, with a diversity index of 22.1/100.
Haddam-Killingworth High School accounts for 25.7% of all Regional School District 17 student enrollment
That concentration means Regional School District 17-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Regional School District 17 student-counselor ratio is 195:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Regional School District 17 chronic absenteeism rate is 5.0% — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
How many schools are in Regional School District 17?
Regional School District 17 has 5 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 2 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 1,814 students.
How much does Regional School District 17 spend per student?
Regional School District 17 spends $25,698 per student. The district has an equity score of 58/100, ranking #58 in Connecticut.
What is the demographic composition of Regional School District 17?
Regional School District 17 students are 89.7% White, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% African American, 1.1% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Regional School District 17?
Regional School District 17 has an equity score of 58/100, ranking #58 out of 174 districts in Connecticut.