Connecticut · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best School Districts in Connecticut

Top 50 districts ranked by average school quality score, based on student-teacher ratios, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

50
Districts ranked
146,343
Students enrolled
59/100
Avg quality score
B
Top grade

The ranking in one line

Darien School District in Darien leads Connecticut's districts with an average school quality score of 70/100 across 7 schools.

70/100
top district score (grade B)
7
schools in Darien School District
4,700
students in the top district
59/100
average across the top 50
# District GradeAvg Quality
1 Darien School District Darien B 70
2 New Canaan School District New Canaan B- 69.4
3 Westport School District Westport B- 66
4 Vernon School District Vernon B- 65.9
5 Fairfield School District Fairfield B- 65.3
6 Weston School District Weston B- 65.3
7 Redding School District Easton B- 65
8 North Haven School District North Haven C+ 64.8
9 Cromwell School District Cromwell C+ 64.5
10 Regional School District 17 Higganum C+ 64
11 Wolcott School District Wolcott C+ 63.8
12 Regional School District 08 Hebron C+ 63
13 Regional School District 04 Deep River C+ 62.5
14 Greenwich School District Greenwich C+ 62.3
15 Trumbull School District Trumbull C+ 62.2
16 Regional School District 16 Prospect C+ 61.8
17 Waterford School District Waterford C+ 61.6
18 Orange School District Orange C+ 61.3
19 Coventry School District Coventry C+ 60.3
20 Newtown School District Newtown C 59.7
21 Westbrook School District Westbrook C 59.3
22 Somers School District Somers C 59
23 Milford School District Milford C 58.1
24 New Fairfield School District New Fairfield C 57.3
25 Regional School District 13 Durham C 57.2
26 West Hartford School District West Hartford C 57.1
27 Winchester School District Winsted C 57
28 Hebron School District Hebron C 56.5
29 Wallingford School District Wallingford C 56.3
30 Windsor Locks School District Windsor Locks C 56.3
31 Regional School District 05 Woodbridge C 56
32 Easton School District Easton C 56
33 Mansfield School District Storrs C 55.7
34 Regional School District 07 Winsted C 55.5
35 Bristol School District Bristol C- 54.8
36 Granby School District Granby C- 54.5
37 East Lyme School District East Lyme C- 54.2
38 Glastonbury School District Glastonbury C- 54.1
39 Regional School District 10 Burlington C- 54
40 Portland School District Portland C- 53.8
41 Guilford School District Guilford C- 53.7
42 Brookfield School District Brookfield C- 53.5
43 Watertown School District Watertown C- 53.2
44 Madison School District Madison C- 52.8
45 Cheshire School District Cheshire C- 52.7
46 Ridgefield School District Ridgefield C- 52.6
47 Litchfield School District Litchfield C- 52.5
48 Lebanon School District Lebanon C- 52.3
49 Suffield School District Suffield C- 52
50 Old Saybrook School District Old Saybrook C- 52

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best school districts in Connecticut?

The top-ranked district in Connecticut is Darien School District in Darien with 4,700 students across 7 schools. Average quality score: 70/100. Rankings are based on average school quality scores from NCES data.

How are district rankings calculated?

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be ranked.

How many school districts are in Connecticut?

Connecticut has 50+ school districts serving 491,941 students. The statewide average student-teacher ratio is 12.1:1.

Methodology

Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 metrics: student-teacher ratio, school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be included. This measures school-level resources, not test scores. Higher average scores indicate districts where schools generally have smaller classes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.