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Waterbury, Connecticut - 29 schools
An equity score of 47/100 ranks Waterbury School District #92 of 174 districts in Connecticut (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $18,981 per pupil, Waterbury School District ranks #167 of 191 Connecticut districts by per-pupil spending (Connecticut districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
18,701
Total Enrollment
29
Schools
$18,981
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Waterbury School District operates 29 public schools serving 18,701 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Connecticut. The school portfolio breaks down into 20 combined, 4 high, 3 elementary, 2 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,981 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 191 Connecticut districts by per-pupil spending. See how Connecticut compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 23.5% local, 63.9% state, and 12.6% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 47/100, ranked #92 of 174 in Connecticut against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 5 of 29 schools offering Advanced Placement (39 AP courses district-wide), a 392:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 34.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 64.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% African American, 9.2% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Rotella Interdistrict Magnet School, with a diversity index of 68.2/100.
Its largest campus is Crosby High School, enrolling 1,453 students (8% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Regan School, at 237 students, a 6x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Waterbury School District school enrollment varies 6.1× across entities
Waterbury School District school enrollment ranges from 237 students (lowest) to 1,453 students (highest), a spread of 1,216 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Waterbury School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 75.1% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Waterbury School District student-counselor ratio is 392:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Waterbury School District chronic absenteeism rate is 34.9% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
How many schools are in Waterbury School District?
Waterbury School District has 29 schools, including 4 high, 3 elementary, 2 middle, 20 combined. Total enrollment is 18,701 students.
How much does Waterbury School District spend per student?
Waterbury School District spends $18,981 per student. The district has an equity score of 47/100, ranking #92 in Connecticut.
What is the demographic composition of Waterbury School District?
Waterbury School District students are 64.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% African American, 9.2% White, 1.6% Asian, averaged across 29 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Waterbury School District?
Waterbury School District has an equity score of 47/100, ranking #92 out of 174 districts in Connecticut.