Best Public Schools in Danbury, CT

The city of Danbury, Connecticut, is served by 19 schools across the Danbury School District and the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System — including 14 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 2 high schools — with a combined enrollment of 12,370 students spanning early childhood through 12th grade. The school landscape is one of extreme contrast: a handful of schools perform at or above Connecticut state averages, while many more sit well below them.

The strongest schools in Danbury stand out sharply. Western CT Academy of International Studies Elementary Magnet is the highest-ranked school in the city, sitting in the 67th percentile statewide with 5th-grade ELA proficiency at 82% compared to the state's 53.5%. Great Plain School is nearly as strong, ranking in the 66th percentile and surpassing district averages across every grade and subject. Westside Middle School Academy leads the middle schools, ranking in the 51st percentile with 8th-grade science proficiency of 56.2% versus a district rate of 34.1% — all while serving a student body where 54.2% qualify for free/reduced lunch. Henry Abbott Technical High School is the high school bright spot, with a 98.8% graduation rate, 8.9% chronic absenteeism, and science proficiency above the state average. At the other end, Danbury High School is the most challenged school, ranking in the 15th percentile with a 26% chronic absenteeism rate and SAT math proficiency of just 10.8%.

Several patterns matter for parents. Chronic absenteeism strongly tracks with performance: the highest-performing schools all keep absenteeism below 10%, while Danbury High exceeds 26%. Math is a districtwide weakness, particularly in middle and high school, where proficiency gaps versus the state reach 20 to 25 points. Spending does not predict results — Rogers Park Middle School spends the most per student yet ranks in the bottom quintile, while Great Plain spends less and outperforms it. There are positive trends, too: South Street School improved from the 30th to 40th percentile, Pembroke School jumped from the 16th to 33rd, and Ellsworth Avenue School moved from the 10th to 27th. Note that King Street Primary School and Mill Ridge Primary School lack recent rankings, and the spending data is from 2018-2019.