Best Public Schools in Griswold, CT

The Griswold School District in Griswold, Connecticut, serves about 1,790 students across three public schools: Griswold Elementary School (PK–4), Griswold Middle School (5–8), and Griswold High School (9–12). All three schools serve a similar economic population, with roughly 52–54% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, which makes comparisons between schools particularly meaningful.

Griswold Middle School stands out for its academic performance in the upper grades. Its 8th grade ELA proficiency rate of 66% is more than 15 points above the state average, and 7th grade ELA also exceeds the state. Math remains a challenge across most grades, though 8th grade math is slightly above the state average. Griswold Elementary School has the best attendance record in the district, with a chronic absenteeism rate of 12.8% — well below the state average of 16.4% — and its 3rd grade test scores are competitive with the state. However, 4th grade scores drop sharply, especially in math, where proficiency falls to 36.8% versus the state's 51.4%. Griswold High School graduates 91.8% of its students, above the state average, but it struggles with chronic absenteeism: 26.7% of high school students are chronically absent, nearly 10 points above the state average.

There is a notable spending paradox: Griswold High School spends the most per student ($17,375) and has the lowest student-teacher ratio (11.4), yet it has the highest chronic absenteeism and below-state science proficiency (41.5% vs. 47.7%). Griswold Elementary School spends the least ($9,809) but has the best attendance. Overall district rankings are modest, with schools ranging from the 33rd to 47th percentile statewide. The most actionable issue may be the attendance collapse at the high school, since the elementary and middle schools demonstrate strong attendance and Griswold Middle School shows what is possible with strong ELA outcomes. Improving high school attendance could be a high-impact strategy for the Griswold School District.