Best Public Schools in Derby, CT

The city of Derby, Connecticut, is served by the Derby School District, which educates 1,226 students across four public schools: Derby High School (grades 9-12), Derby Middle School (grades 6-8), and two K-5 elementary schools, Irving School and Bradley School. The district overall is ranked 140th out of 153 Connecticut districts, placing it in the bottom 8% statewide with a 0-star rating, though individual schools vary widely. With a weighted free/reduced-price lunch rate of about 57.3%, Derby schools serve a predominantly economically disadvantaged population, with per-student spending ranging from $16,138 to $20,445.

Bradley School is the clear standout, ranking 263rd out of 491 elementary schools (46th percentile) and exceeding state proficiency in 4th grade ELA (63.6% vs. 50.9%), 4th grade math (61.4% vs. 52.1%), and 3rd grade math (55.6% vs. 52.2%). It also has the district's lowest poverty rate at 46.7% free/reduced lunch. At the opposite end, Irving School is the lowest-performing school, ranking 456th out of 491 elementary schools (7th percentile), with 4th grade math proficiency of just 11.4% versus the state's 52.1%. Derby Middle School sits in the 25th percentile, with bright spots like 8th grade ELA reaching 49.5% in 2024-2025, but it struggles with the district's highest chronic absenteeism rate (25.0%). Derby High School has a graduation rate of 83.3% and improved 11th grade science proficiency to 28.4%, but remains in the bottom 15% of Connecticut high schools.

The most striking finding is the gap between the two elementary schools: Bradley and Irving are separated by 41 percentage points in 4th grade ELA and 50 points in 4th grade math, despite serving the same grades in the same district. Notably, Irving spends the most per student ($19,483) and has the district's smallest classes (9.2 student-teacher ratio), yet posts the lowest scores—suggesting poverty, mobility, and instructional quality matter more than resources alone. Math is a district-wide weakness, with proficiency as low as 11.4% at Irving and 14.0% at Derby Middle School's 8th grade. Bradley's success, however, shows that higher achievement is possible within the same district and with similar resources.