Best Public Schools in Ansonia, CT

Ansonia, Connecticut is served by five public schools—two elementary schools (Prendergast School and Mead School, PK–5), Ansonia Middle School (grades 6–8), and two high schools (Ansonia High School and Emmett O'Brien Technical High School, grades 9–12)—enrolling about 2,961 students. The Ansonia School District ranks 149th out of 153 Connecticut districts, and most schools carry 1-star ratings. Economic need is high: roughly 59.7% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, from 43.7% at Emmett O'Brien Technical High School to 66.6% at Mead School.

Emmett O'Brien Technical High School, part of the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System, is the standout high school, with a 96.7% graduation rate, the city's lowest poverty rate, and the best test scores, including 38% ELA proficiency. Ansonia High School, by contrast, graduates just 83.1% of its students. At the elementary level, Prendergast School posts the best attendance in the city at 13.5% chronic absenteeism—below the state average of 16.4%—and shows steady ELA growth from 18.8% in 3rd grade to 35.1% in 5th grade. Mead School excels specifically in 4th grade, with district-leading proficiency of 38.9% in ELA and 41.6% in math, though its other grades lag. Ansonia Middle School is the biggest concern: chronic absenteeism is 21.9%, and 8th-grade math proficiency is just 12.4% versus 41.9% statewide.

Math is the district's most urgent issue. Proficiency declines from 18.1% in 6th grade to 12.4% in 8th grade at Ansonia Middle School, and 11th-grade math proficiency sits in the single digits to low teens at both high schools, versus 31.3% statewide. Chronic absenteeism also climbs with grade level—elementary schools average 14.35%, high schools 17.1%, and the middle school 21.9%—though Prendergast School proves that high-poverty schools can still achieve strong attendance. Spending skews toward upper grades, with Ansonia High School spending $19,054 per student versus about $13,400 at the elementary schools. No Ansonia school ranks above the 23rd percentile of its school type, but bright spots like Mead School's 4th-grade results and Emmett O'Brien Technical High School's graduation rate point to early math intervention and middle school attendance as the clearest levers for improvement.