Best Public Schools in Oxford, CT

The city of Oxford, Connecticut, is served by the Oxford School District, which operates four public schools—two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school—enrolling about 1,600 students in a predominantly middle-income suburban community. The district ranks in the 66th percentile statewide, yet several individual schools outperform that overall ranking, making Oxford a quietly strong choice for families.

Oxford Middle School is the district’s most consistent all-around performer, ranking 60th of 258 Connecticut middle schools (77th percentile, 4 stars) and posting strong proficiency rates in ELA, math, and science with an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of just 7.9%. Its student-teacher ratio of 9.0 is the best in the district, likely supporting its success. Great Oak Elementary School also shines, ranking in the 74th percentile among elementary schools, with 5th-grade ELA proficiency of 77.9% and science proficiency of 76.2%—both far above state averages—while achieving the district’s lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 4.7%. Quaker Farms School, serving PK-2, has no test scores but posts a healthy 7.9% absenteeism rate and a reasonable 14.2 student-teacher ratio, making it a solid entry point for young learners.

Oxford High School graduates 97.3% of its students and showed an impressive 12-point jump in SAT ELA proficiency, reaching 73.1%—well above the state’s 55.3%. However, its chronic absenteeism rate of 33.6% is a major red flag, more than four times the middle school’s rate and far above the district average. This attendance problem is not explained by economics, since free/reduced lunch eligibility is nearly identical across all schools (roughly 18–19%). Notably, per-student spending does not align with outcomes: Great Oak spends the least ($14,672) yet has the best attendance and top test scores, while the high school spends the most ($18,980) yet struggles with engagement. For parents, Oxford offers a high-performing elementary and middle school experience, but the high school’s academic strength is tempered by a serious absenteeism challenge worth investigating.