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Bristow Middle School

Q: Is Bristow Middle School a good school?

Bristow Middle School ranks 75 th of 252 Connecticut middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

75^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 252 Connecticut Middle Schools

Better than 70% of Connecticut middle schools

Summary

Bristow Middle School is a public middle school located in West Hartford, Connecticut, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 312 students. The school is part of the West Hartford School District, which is ranked 51 out of 156 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. Bristow Middle School has consistently ranked in the top 25% of Connecticut middle schools over the past decade, with a current ranking of 51 out of 249 schools and a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Bristow Middle School consistently outperforms the state and district averages in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Bristow's 8th-grade students scored 68.8% proficient or better in ELA, compared to 63.2% for the West Hartford School District and 50.7% for the state of Connecticut. In mathematics, Bristow's 8th-grade students scored 65.6% proficient or better, compared to 54.5% for the district and 40.8% for the state. Additionally, Bristow Middle School has lower chronic absenteeism rates compared to the state and district averages, with a rate of 10.9% in the 2023-2024 school year, while the state and district rates were 17.7%.

When compared to nearby middle schools in the West Hartford School District, such as King Philip Middle School and Sedgwick Middle School, Bristow Middle School generally outperforms its peers in academic achievement, with higher test scores and lower chronic absenteeism rates. This suggests that Bristow may have best practices or resources that could be shared with other schools in the district to improve their performance.

326

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,590

Per pupil spending ?

31%

Free/discounted lunch ?

34 Highland St.
West Hartford, CT 06102

(860) 231-2100

District: West Hartford School District

Feeder schools for Bristow Middle School:

Elementary:	Aiken School
	Braeburn School
	Bugbee School
	Charter Oak International Academy
	More...
	Duffy School
	Morley School
	Norfeldt School
	Smith School
	Webster Hill School
	Whiting Lane School
	Wolcott School

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.4%

Hispanic:

25.2%

Asian:

9.8%

See top rated Connecticut middle schools

Compare Bristow Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 85th percentile in 2015 → 70th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Connecticut average (60% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Above the Connecticut median (70th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg61%

Connecticut avg47%

75^th of 252

Connecticut public middle schools ?

Top 30%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From top 15% (2015) to top 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Middle Schools in the West Hartford School District

51^st of 156West Hartford 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	73.0	75 of 252	70.2%	★★★★☆
2024	73.0	68 of 250	72.8%	★★★★☆
2023	79.3	51 of 249	79.5%	★★★★☆
2022	76.9	59 of 250	76.4%	★★★★☆
2021	85.5	38 of 275	86.2%	★★★★☆
2019	80.3	59 of 259	77.2%	★★★★☆
2018	78.1	59 of 249	76.3%	★★★★☆
2017	85.7	27 of 250	89.2%	★★★★☆
2016	84.5	32 of 246	87.0%	★★★★☆
2015	85.8	42 of 280	85.0%	★★★★☆
2013	73.2	96 of 278	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	74.8	75 of 272	72.4%	★★★★☆
2011	78.6	47 of 269	82.5%	★★★★☆
2010	76.7	66 of 268	75.4%	★★★★☆
2009	77.6	49 of 255	80.8%	★★★★☆
2008	78.0	40 of 252	84.1%	★★★★☆
2007	73.4	73 of 250	70.8%	★★★★☆
2006	70.3	83 of 248	66.5%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	51.4	18 of 27	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	64.4	65 of 164	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.0	63 of 161	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	77.7	33 of 160	79.4%	★★★★☆
2022	72.8	50 of 166	69.9%	★★★★☆
2021	84.8	27 of 235	88.5%	★★★★☆
2019	71.6	51 of 169	69.8%	★★★★☆
2018	67.6	64 of 160	60.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	74.7	42 of 218	80.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	67.4	59 of 162	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.3	57 of 157	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.0	42 of 158	73.4%	★★★★☆
2022	72.2	51 of 169	69.8%	★★★★☆
2021	81.3	44 of 224	80.4%	★★★★☆
2019	76.8	47 of 167	71.9%	★★★★☆
2018	73.7	44 of 164	73.2%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	79.6	29 of 244	88.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	78.9	20 of 153	86.9%	★★★★☆
2024	75.6	28 of 154	81.8%	★★★★☆
2023	81.9	17 of 158	89.2%	★★★★☆
2022	78.2	26 of 151	82.8%	★★★★☆
2021	90.0	6 of 175	96.6%	★★★★★
2019	83.7	19 of 166	88.6%	★★★★☆
2018	84.2	18 of 168	89.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2021)88th percentile~ school

White (2025)87th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)81st percentile-5 vs school

Male (2025)64th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2025)60th percentile-10 vs school

Asian (2021)33rd percentile-53 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2024-2025) ?

Science68%+18 vs state

English Language Arts63%+12 vs state

Mathematics55%+13 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Thursday, May 14, 2020

Bristow is fun and pretty laid back I love learning here. Close Quote

Schools Near Bristow Middle School

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	NGSS Science 8th 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 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 8th Grade	Total
Bristow Middle School	Public	6-8	34 Highland St.	West Hartford	06102	Capitol Planning Region	West Hartford School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 231-2100	326	28	11.4	31.0%	161 (49.4%)	28 (8.6%)	82 (25.2%)	32 (9.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.4%)	73	75^th of 252 public middle schools	70.2%		73	68^th of 250 public middle schools	72.8%	7		68.4		61.5	58.6	68.8			47.1	52.7	65.6	$23,590
Renzulli Gifted and Talented Academy	Public	4-8	85 Woodland Street	Hartford	06105	Capitol Planning Region	Hartford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 695-2140	128	10	13.4	57.0%	33 (25.8%)	43 (33.6%)	34 (26.6%)	10 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (5.5%)								(n/a)							85.0					$19,539
M. L. King Junior Middle School	Public	6-8	25 Ridgefield Street	Hartford	06112	Capitol Planning Region	Hartford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 695-3980	184	19	9.9	82.1%	2 (1.1%)	102 (55.4%)	73 (39.7%)	3 (1.6%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	4.3	249^th of 252 public middle schools	1.2%		8.5	227^th of 250 public middle schools	9.2%	22				14.3	13.0	11.4						$30,717
McDonough Middle School	Public	6-8	111 Hillside Avenue	Hartford	06106	Capitol Planning Region	Hartford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 695-4260	301	25	12.0	80.7%	19 (6.3%)	30 (10.0%)	244 (81.1%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	5.1	246^th of 252 public middle schools	2.4%		3.8	247^th of 250 public middle schools	1.2%	1		12.2		12.9	14.4	8.2			7.0	9.8		$23,302
King Philip Middle School	Public	6-8	100 King Philip Dr.	West Hartford	06117	Capitol Planning Region	West Hartford School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 233-8236	820	72	11.4	27.0%	415 (50.6%)	79 (9.6%)	168 (20.5%)	91 (11.1%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	62 (7.6%)	78.6	55^th of 252 public middle schools	78.2%		80.2	46^th of 250 public middle schools	81.6%	9		60.4		63.6	73.7	65.3			63.1	64.1	55.4	$22,222
Sedgwick Middle School	Public	6-8	128 Sedgwick Rd.	West Hartford	06107	Capitol Planning Region	West Hartford School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 570-6500	874	76	11.4	32.5%	452 (51.7%)	60 (6.9%)	209 (23.9%)	98 (11.2%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	52 (5.9%)	72	78^th of 252 public middle schools	69.0%		67.7	85^th of 250 public middle schools	66.0%	7		56.2		66.3	59.7	60.3			63.7	55.8	50.7	$21,755
Burr Middle School	Public	6-8	400 Wethersfield Avenue	Hartford	06114	Capitol Planning Region	Hartford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 695-3080	259	18	14.3	81.9%	6 (2.3%)	33 (12.7%)	207 (79.9%)	9 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	3.5	251^st of 252 public middle schools	0.4%		3.4	249^th of 250 public middle schools	0.4%	2		10.0		8.7	9.0	6.1						$22,614
Betances STEM Magnet School	Public, Magnet	5-8	400 Wethersfield Avenue	Hartford	06114	Capitol Planning Region	Hartford School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(860) 695-2970	206	16	12.8	73.3%	16 (7.8%)	38 (18.4%)	123 (59.7%)	17 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.8%)	27	163^rd of 252 public middle schools	35.3%		15.6	198^th of 250 public middle schools	20.8%	35	35.2	30.4	31.5		45.3			25.9	26.7	30.2	17.4	$20,059
Milner Middle School	Public	6-8	150 Tower Avenue	Hartford	06112	Capitol Planning Region	Hartford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 695-4380	261	24	10.8	93.5%	4 (1.5%)	71 (27.2%)	178 (68.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.3%)	5.4	245^th of 252 public middle schools	2.8%		6.5	240^th of 250 public middle schools	4.0%	5		13.9		13.1	6.3	9.6			12.0	7.8	10.6	$27,922
Academy of Computer Science and Engineering Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	337 East River Dr.	East Hartford	06108	Capitol Planning Region	Capitol Region Education Council	No	Yes	No	Yes	(860) 290-5320	669	57	11.7	71.9%	64 (9.6%)	209 (31.2%)	328 (49.0%)	26 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	41 (6.1%)	17.1	197^th of 252 public middle schools	21.8%		14.2	204^th of 250 public middle schools	18.4%	7		28.4		29.9	28.1	35.4			19.0	14.4	19.0	$27,362

Frequently Asked Questions about Bristow Middle School

What district is Bristow Middle School in?

West Hartford School District

What is the racial makeup of Bristow Middle School?

Students at Bristow Middle School are 49% White, 25% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 9% African American, 6% Two or more races.

Is Bristow Middle School a good school?

Bristow Middle School ranks 75^th of 252 Connecticut middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Bristow Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 326 students attended Bristow Middle School.

Rate Bristow Middle 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.