Best Public Schools in Berlin, CT

Berlin, Connecticut is served by the Berlin School District, a small three-school system of 1,865 students covering grades PK–12 that includes Berlin High School (9–12), Catherine M. McGee Middle School (6–8), and Emma Hart Willard School (PK–5).

Although the district is ranked 80th out of 153 Connecticut districts, the individual schools tell a much stronger story. Berlin High School is the academic standout, ranking 31st out of 133 high schools (77th percentile, 4 stars) with a 97.5% graduation rate and science proficiency of 71.9% — a full 21.4 points above the state average. Its SAT ELA proficiency is also excellent at 71.8%, though math (43.1%) is notably weaker. Catherine M. McGee Middle School is the district's most balanced and consistent building, holding a 4-star rating for three straight years and beating the state in math by roughly 15–16 percentage points at every grade level. Emma Hart Willard School serves the highest-need population in the district (30.9% free/reduced lunch) and showed the most dramatic improvement, jumping 3rd-grade ELA proficiency from 38.1% to 61.9% in a single year.

The biggest red flag is chronic absenteeism at Berlin High School: 22.0% of students are chronically absent, roughly 50% higher than the district rate and 34% higher than the state rate, while the middle and elementary schools enjoy much healthier rates of 11.6% and 12.2%. Another challenge is the math transition — students leave McGee with 55–62% proficiency in math but only 43.1% demonstrate SAT math proficiency by high school, suggesting math should remain a focus. The district is well-resourced overall, with student-to-teacher ratios between 10.4:1 and 11.5:1 and per-student spending ranging from $16,566 to $18,293. If Berlin can improve high school attendance and lift upper-elementary science — where Emma Hart Willard School trails the state by 4.3 points — it has the foundation to become one of Connecticut's top small districts.