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Waterbury Arts Magnet School

Q: Is Waterbury Arts Magnet School a good school?

Waterbury Arts Magnet School ranks 103 rd of 141 Connecticut high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 6-12

103^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 141 Connecticut High Schools

Better than 27% of Connecticut high schools

Summary

Waterbury Arts Magnet School is a public magnet high school serving grades 6-12 in Waterbury, Connecticut, which is part of the Waterbury School District. With 821 students, the school consistently outperforms the district and state averages on standardized tests, particularly in English Language Arts. Its four-year graduation rates are also higher than the district average, and it has lower chronic absenteeism rates.

Compared to other high schools in the Waterbury district, such as Crosby High School, Wilby High School, and John F. Kennedy High School, Waterbury Arts Magnet School performs significantly better on academic metrics and graduation rates. However, when compared to schools outside the district, like Pomperaug Regional High School and Watertown High School, its performance is not as strong.

The school's focus on the arts and its additional resources, such as a lower student-teacher ratio and higher per-student spending, may contribute to its academic success. Despite having a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a relatively high proportion of students from low-income families, Waterbury Arts Magnet School is able to outperform the district and some nearby schools, suggesting that its specialized curriculum and programs may be helping to overcome socioeconomic challenges.

820

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,835

Per pupil spending ?

68%

Free/discounted lunch ?

16 South Elm St.
Waterbury, CT 06706

(203) 573-6300

District: Waterbury School District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

46.1%

White:

28.5%

African American:

18.4%

See top rated Connecticut high schools

Compare Waterbury Arts Magnet School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 44th percentile in 2015 → 27th in 2025

Strengths

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the Connecticut average (89%)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Math scores 16 pts below the Connecticut average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg21%

Connecticut avg46%

Middle school

117^th of 252

Connecticut public middle schools ?

Top 46%▲ up 4 pts since 2023

From top 50% (2023) to top 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

103^rd of 141

Connecticut public high schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 44% (2015) to bottom 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5High Schools in the Waterbury School District

149^th of 156Waterbury School District among Connecticut districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	51.8	117 of 252	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.9	116 of 250	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.8	125 of 249	49.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	27.8	113 of 164	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.5	107 of 161	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.8	102 of 160	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.5	102 of 166	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	65.1	26 of 105	75.2%	★★★★☆
2024	65.4	22 of 104	78.8%	★★★★☆
2023	62.8	25 of 99	74.7%	★★★★☆
2022	70.8	17 of 97	82.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	60.6	46 of 117	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.5	40 of 109	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.9	54 of 106	49.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	56.8	78 of 162	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.9	75 of 157	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.9	100 of 158	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.3	103 of 169	39.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	66.8	55 of 153	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.9	87 of 158	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.8	68 of 151	55.0%	★★★☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	22.7	103 of 141	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.0	91 of 145	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.2	75 of 142	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.5	100 of 139	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.8	121 of 200	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.3	101 of 121	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.7	88 of 121	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	37.0	80 of 140	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	30.4	89 of 132	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	47.1	110 of 196	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	52.3	122 of 193	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.1	132 of 188	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	33.9	149 of 189	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	55.3	114 of 186	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	53.8	109 of 176	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	46.4	120 of 176	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	51.3	119 of 176	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	29.6	41 of 58	29.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2023	36.7	67 of 103	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	14.9	88 of 106	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.2	124 of 189	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2023	72.5	11 of 63	82.5%	★★★★☆
2022	28.8	42 of 59	28.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.7	40 of 104	61.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	32.3	43 of 70	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.6	21 of 70	70.0%	★★★★☆
2022	38.8	33 of 63	47.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	21.0	126 of 155	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2023	31.6	63 of 100	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	16.1	85 of 102	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.7	112 of 182	38.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	22.3	138 of 175	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	32.1	82 of 116	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.5	90 of 155	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.9	92 of 105	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Middle school

Hispanic (2025)75th percentile+22 vs school

White (2025)64th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)61st percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)52nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)31st percentile-22 vs school

High school

Hispanic (2023)83rd percentile+35 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)39th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2023)37th percentile-10 vs school

Female (2023)35th percentile-12 vs school

African American (2021)29th percentile-10 vs school

White (2025)29th percentile~ school

Special Education (2021)21st percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts58%+8 vs state

Science48%~ state avg

Mathematics35%-7 vs state

Math15%-16 vs state

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Schools Near Waterbury Arts Magnet School

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 8th Grade	NGSS Science 11th Grade	SAT English Language Arts 11th Grade	SAT Math 11th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 8th Grade	Total
Waterbury Arts Magnet School	Public, Magnet	6-12	16 South Elm St.	Waterbury	06706	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(203) 573-6300	820	68	12.0	68.0%	234 (28.5%)	151 (18.4%)	378 (46.1%)	12 (1.5%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (5.2%)	22.7	103^rd of 141 public high schools	27.0%		32	91^st of 145 public high schools	37.2%	12	48.2		43.8	15.2	52.7	63.4	58.8	29.5	38.4	37.7	$22,835
REGIONS staff secure Waterbury	Public	6-12	80 Prospect Street	Waterbury	06702	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Judicial Centers	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(203) 757-9939	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Waterbury Career Academy	Public	9-12	175 Birch Street	Waterbury	06704	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8000	709	59	11.9	78.0%	92 (13.0%)	184 (26.0%)	387 (54.6%)	19 (2.7%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.0%)	28	91^st of 141 public high schools	35.5%		25.4	105^th of 145 public high schools	27.6%	14		30.4	52.5	15.2							$21,089
John F. Kennedy High School	Public	9-12	422 Highland Ave.	Waterbury	06708	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8153	1,391	98	14.2	81.8%	137 (9.8%)	314 (22.6%)	876 (63.0%)	22 (1.6%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (2.7%)	8.9	132^nd of 141 public high schools	6.4%		7	137^th of 145 public high schools	5.5%	5		13.3	24.3	10.0							$18,813
W. F. Kaynor Technical High School	Public	9-12	43 Tompkins St.	Waterbury	06708	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 596-4302	831	71	11.6	51.7%	231 (27.8%)	133 (16.0%)	401 (48.3%)	10 (1.2%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	42 (5.1%)	27.7	93^rd of 141 public high schools	34.0%		33.4	87^th of 145 public high schools	40.0%	6		45.2	39.4	11.7							$28,587
Crosby High School	Public	9-12	300 Pierpont Rd.	Waterbury	06705	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8061	1,453	85	17.0	83.0%	90 (6.2%)	344 (23.7%)	942 (64.8%)	16 (1.1%)	12 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (3.4%)	8.6	133^rd of 141 public high schools	5.7%		7.4	135^th of 145 public high schools	6.9%	2		9.6	27.4	9.4							$16,885
Wilby High School	Public	9-12	568 Bucks Hill Rd.	Waterbury	06704	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8100	1,196	83	14.4	84.9%	60 (5.0%)	307 (25.7%)	764 (63.9%)	7 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (4.6%)	6.6	137^th of 141 public high schools	2.8%		6.3	138^th of 145 public high schools	4.8%	1		10.8	17.4	7.2							$19,547
Watertown High School	Public	9-12	324 French St.	Watertown	06795	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Watertown School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 945-4810	693	66	10.5	40.4%	539 (77.8%)	27 (3.9%)	93 (13.4%)	10 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	21 (3.0%)								(n/a)		44.0									$26,352
Naugatuck High School	Public	9-12	543 Rubber Ave.	Naugatuck	06770	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Naugatuck School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 720-5400	1,202	79	15.2	54.2%	453 (37.7%)	165 (13.7%)	490 (40.8%)	35 (2.9%)	3 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	51 (4.2%)	16	117^th of 141 public high schools	17.0%		26.7	100^th of 145 public high schools	31.0%	17		21.8	38.8	12.1							$20,990
Wolcott High School	Public	9-12	457 Bound Line Rd.	Wolcott	06716	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Wolcott School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 879-8164	611	60	10.1	30.9%	445 (72.8%)	33 (5.4%)	96 (15.7%)	17 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.3%)								(n/a)											$21,527

Frequently Asked Questions about Waterbury Arts Magnet School

What district is Waterbury Arts Magnet School in?

Waterbury School District

Is Waterbury Arts Magnet School a good school?

Waterbury Arts Magnet School ranks 103^rd of 141 Connecticut high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Waterbury Arts Magnet School?

Students at Waterbury Arts Magnet School are 46% Hispanic, 29% White, 18% African American, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Waterbury Arts Magnet School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 820 students attended Waterbury Arts Magnet School.

Rate Waterbury Arts Magnet School!

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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.