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Best Elementary Schools in Groton, CT

At a glance

Schools

1,215

Students

Top rankedCatherine Kolnaski Magnet School242^nd of 493 Connecticut elementary schools

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Summary:

The city of Groton, Connecticut is home to three elementary schools: Thames River Magnet School, Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School, and Charles Barnum Magnet School. These schools serve students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade and are part of the Groton School District.

Among the three schools, Thames River Magnet School and Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School stand out as the top performers. Both schools have consistently ranked in the top 50% of Connecticut elementary schools for the past three years and have earned 3-star ratings from SchoolDigger. These schools outperform the Groton School District and the state of Connecticut in several academic areas, including 4th and 5th grade English Language Arts and 5th grade Science. Additionally, they have relatively low student-teacher ratios, which may contribute to their academic success.

In contrast, Charles Barnum Magnet School lags behind the district and state averages in several academic areas, particularly in 3rd grade English Language Arts and Mathematics. All three schools, however, face the challenge of high chronic absenteeism rates, which exceed the state average. Additionally, the schools serve a significant population of economically disadvantaged students, with free and reduced-price lunch rates ranging from 48.8% to 53.39%.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NGSS Science (2025)	SBAC English Language Arts (2025)			SBAC Mathematics (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NGSS Science 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	Total
Charles Barnum Magnet School	Public	PK, KG-5	68 Briar Hill Rd.	Groton	06340	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	Groton School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 449-5640	339	29	11.7	51.3%	174 (51.3%)	24 (7.1%)	93 (27.4%)	8 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	39 (11.5%)	37.5	295^th of 493 public elementary schools	40.2%		48.9	255^th of 497 public elementary schools	48.7%	40	59.4	29.3	45.7	51.6	37.9	43.5		$22,716
Thames River Magnet School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	250 Brandegee Avenue	Groton	06340	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	Groton School District	No	Yes	No	No	(860) 980-8230	501	41	12.2	74.3%	200 (39.9%)	48 (9.6%)	127 (25.3%)	39 (7.8%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	81 (16.2%)	51.5	247^th of 493 public elementary schools	49.9%		52.9	238^th of 497 public elementary schools	52.1%	9	64.6	39.4	60.3	61.5	34.8	54.4	50.8	$22,566
Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	500 Poquonnock Rd.	Groton	06340	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	Groton School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(860) 449-5608	375	31	11.9	80.3%	144 (38.4%)	18 (4.8%)	114 (30.4%)	30 (8.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (17.9%)	53.5	242^nd of 493 public elementary schools	50.9%		56.4	220^th of 497 public elementary schools	55.7%	22	67.2	50.0	50.0	62.1	50.0	48.4	50.0	$21,873

Cities Near Groton

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Mystic	2.42 mi	2	100^th
New London	2.83 mi	10	174^th
Waterford	4.25 mi	5	76^th
Quaker Hill	4.96 mi	1	99^th
Stonington	6.23 mi	1	26^th

See the top CT Connecticut cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Connecticut Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.