Beta You're viewing our redesigned school list. Prefer the classic layout?

Best Public Schools in New Canaan, CT

At a glance

Schools

4,040

Students

5-star schools

Top rankedSaxe Middle School1^st of 252 Connecticut middle schools

◉

Smallest classes

South School 10.7 students per teacher

Compare Connecticut cities →See the top-ranked Connecticut schools →

Summary:

The city of New Canaan, Connecticut is home to a highly successful school district, with 5 schools that consistently rank among the best in the state. The district serves students from elementary through high school, with 3 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school. These schools demonstrate exceptional academic performance, with multiple institutions ranked at the top of their respective categories statewide.

Saxe Middle School stands out as the #1 ranked middle school in Connecticut, with 5 out of 5 SchoolDigger stars. Similarly, New Canaan High School is the #1 ranked high school in the state, also earning a perfect 5-star rating. At the elementary level, South School is the #2 ranked elementary school in Connecticut, demonstrating the district's commitment to excellence across all grade levels.

The schools in the New Canaan School District invest heavily in their students, spending between $21,670 and $23,074 per student, well above the state average. This investment appears to pay off in the form of exceptional test scores, high graduation rates, and small class sizes. While the district's chronic absenteeism rate is an area for improvement, the overall picture is one of a highly successful school system that provides students with an outstanding education.

Load more schools when map is moved

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)			SAT English Language Arts (2025)	SAT Math (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	NGSS Science 8th Grade	NGSS Science 11th Grade	SAT English Language Arts 11th Grade	SAT Math 11th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 8th Grade	Total
East School	Public	K-4	54 Little Brook Rd.	New Canaan	06840	Western Connecticut Planning Region	New Canaan School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 594-4219	554	47	11.7		437 (78.9%)	14 (2.5%)	42 (7.6%)	38 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.2%)	94.5	7^th of 493 public elementary schools	98.6%		94.5	7^th of 497 public elementary schools	98.6%							81.6	97.3					83.3	93.7					$25,191
New Canaan High School	Public	9-12	11 Farm Rd.	New Canaan	06840	Western Connecticut Planning Region	New Canaan School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 594-4600	1,257	102	12.2	0.2%	980 (78.0%)	19 (1.5%)	92 (7.3%)	110 (8.8%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	52 (4.1%)	96.4	1^st of 141 public high schools	99.3%		96.7	1^st of 145 public high schools	99.3%				83.1	92.5	74.9													$29,069
Saxe Middle School	Public	5-8	468 South Ave.	New Canaan	06840	Western Connecticut Planning Region	New Canaan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 594-4564	1,271	117	10.8		982 (77.3%)	16 (1.3%)	84 (6.6%)	106 (8.3%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	78 (6.1%)	96.9	1^st of 252 public middle schools	99.6%		96	3^rd of 250 public middle schools	98.8%	2	84.9	85.9						83.1	90.9	85.8	85.0			81.9	87.7	87.5	88.0	$26,835
South School	Public	K-4	8 Farm Rd.	New Canaan	06840	Western Connecticut Planning Region	New Canaan School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 594-4313	477	44	10.7		376 (78.8%)	2 (0.4%)	35 (7.3%)	29 (6.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.1%)	96.3	2^nd of 493 public elementary schools	99.6%		95.2	3^rd of 497 public elementary schools	99.4%	1						91.4	91.6					90.3	94.7					$27,916
West School	Public	PK, KG-4	769 Ponus Ridge	New Canaan	06840	Western Connecticut Planning Region	New Canaan School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 594-4410	481	41	11.6		399 (83.0%)	4 (0.8%)	25 (5.2%)	19 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	32 (6.7%)								(n/a)							92.2						93.3					$26,707

Cities Near New Canaan

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Norwalk	2.91 mi	23	143^rd
Stamford	3.33 mi	23	148^th
Darien	3.43 mi	7	6^th
Wilton	3.6 mi	4	9^th
Westport	6.78 mi	8	8^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.