Best Public Schools in New London, CT

The city of New London, Connecticut is home to 10 schools, including 4 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 3 high schools. The schools in the district are a mix of traditional public schools and public magnet schools, with a focus on areas like STEM, arts, and international studies.

Among the standout schools in the district, the Interdistrict School For Arts And Communication (middle school) has the highest performance on state assessments compared to other middle schools, ranking 142 out of 252 Connecticut middle schools. The Science and Technology Magnet Pathway for High School Grades has the highest 4-year graduation rate at 88.4% and the highest science proficiency rate on the NGSS assessment. The Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School has the highest performance on state assessments among the elementary schools in the district.

However, the district as a whole faces significant challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates across all schools, well above the state average. Additionally, there are large achievement gaps between the district's schools and state averages on standardized test proficiency rates, particularly at the high school level. The data suggests the district may be allocating more resources to the specialized magnet programs, which could be contributing to these achievement gaps. Overall, the New London school district is working to improve student outcomes, with the magnet school model showing promise, but more work is needed to address the district's systemic challenges.