Best Public Schools in Plainfield, CT

Plainfield, Connecticut is home to three public schools in the Plainfield School District, serving a total of about 1,105 students from Pre-K through 8th grade: Shepard Hill Elementary School (PK-3, 392 students), Plainfield Memorial School (4-5, 291 students), and Plainfield Central School (6-8, 422 students). All three schools are high-poverty schools, with more than half of their students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. There is no high school in this dataset, so graduation rates and college readiness cannot be evaluated.

Among the three schools, Plainfield Memorial School is the standout for attendance and science. Its chronic absenteeism rate is just 9.7%, far below the district rate of 19.4% and the state average of 16.4%, even though it has the highest poverty rate. It also beat state averages in 5th-grade science and posted strong ELA and math scores in 2024-2025, though its state ranking has slipped from the 54th to the 38th percentile. Plainfield Central School is the most consistent performer, ranking in the low-to-mid 40th percentile for three straight years, with 7th-grade ELA (50.4%) near the state average. Shepard Hill Elementary School is the biggest concern: 3rd-grade ELA proficiency fell to 15.7% and math to 25.3%, far below state averages of 47.3% and 52.2%.

Looking at the whole district, math proficiency at Plainfield Central School declines sharply from 44.7% in 6th grade to just 19.7% in 8th grade, compared to a state average of 41.9%. An equity concern: Shepard Hill Elementary School, serving the youngest students, has the lowest per-student spending ($13,587) and the highest student-teacher ratio (13:1), while Plainfield Central School receives the most funding and has the smallest classes. Overall, Plainfield Memorial School is a bright spot for attendance and science, Shepard Hill Elementary School needs urgent academic intervention, and Plainfield Central School is stable but struggles with upper-middle-school math.