Best Public Schools in Newington, CT

The Newington School District serves about 3,828 students across seven schools—one high school, two middle schools, and four elementary schools—in the suburban community of Newington, Connecticut, near Hartford. Overall, the district ranks in the 39th percentile statewide with a 2-star rating, but individual schools show notable variation in performance, and several standouts are worth highlighting. Newington High School is the district’s top-ranked school, landing in the 68th percentile of high schools. It posts an excellent 95.9% graduation rate and strong 11th-grade proficiency in English Language Arts (66%) and science (65.4%), but math is a clear weakness, with only 33.3% proficient. Among middle schools, John Wallace Middle School consistently outperforms Martin Kellogg Middle School, leading by about 10 percentage points in ELA (56.3% vs. 45.9%) and also ahead in math and science. Martin Kellogg has a higher poverty rate (40.9%) and lower rankings, making John Wallace the stronger choice for families. At the elementary level, Elizabeth Green School showed the biggest improvement, jumping to the 61st percentile as the highest-ranked elementary school. It has the smallest class sizes (10.2:1) and highest spending ($20,791 per student), and posted the best 3rd-grade scores in the district. However, 4th-grade math slipped to 46.9%. Ruth Chaffee School was once a 4-star school in the 80th percentile but has dropped to the 57th percentile, with 4th-grade ELA and math scores declining sharply. Meanwhile, Anna Reynolds School spends the least ($16,880) yet posts strong 4th-grade results and the district’s lowest chronic absenteeism at 8.0%. John Paterson School falls in the middle, with solid 3rd-grade scores but more modest 4th-grade results. The district’s biggest academic challenge is math, which declines from roughly 59% proficiency in 3rd grade to just 33% in 11th grade. Chronic absenteeism is concentrated at the high school (17.3%), while elementary schools are much lower. The district’s 2-star rating hides real pockets of excellence, particularly at Newington High School, John Wallace, and Elizabeth Green, so families should look beyond the district-level rating when evaluating options.