Best Public Schools in Seymour, CT

The city of Seymour, Connecticut, is served by the Seymour School District, which operates four public schools — two elementary schools (Chatfield-LoPresti School and Bungay School), one middle school (Seymour Middle School), and one high school (Seymour High School) — serving approximately 2,091 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The district ranks 98th out of 153 Connecticut districts — the 36th percentile with a 2-star rating. Interestingly, every individual school currently ranks above the 50th percentile within its school-type category, suggesting the district-level rating may understate how competitive the individual schools are.

Seymour High School has a 94.8% graduation rate — above the state average of 91.2% — and jumped in 11th-grade SAT math, rising from 27.7% to 35.2% proficient, above the state rate of 31.3%, though its ELA proficiency slipped from 65.5% to 53.8%. Seymour Middle School is a standout in 8th-grade science, with 69.3% proficient versus 50.9% statewide, and math proficiency rises by grade (41.3% in 6th, 48.5% in 7th, 53.7% in 8th), defying the typical downward trend. Among elementary schools, Chatfield-LoPresti School excels in 3rd and 5th grade math, reaching 63.8% in 5th grade versus 45.8% statewide, despite having the city's highest free/reduced lunch rate at 57.5%. Bungay School leads in attendance, with a chronic absenteeism rate of just 6.8% — less than half the district rate of 12.8% — and posts strong 4th grade results with 59.7% ELA and 63.0% math proficiency.

Chronic absenteeism clearly worsens with age in Seymour, climbing from 6.8% at Bungay School and 10.9% at Chatfield-LoPresti School to 15.0% at Seymour Middle School and 16.1% at Seymour High School. The two elementary schools are nearly identical in overall statewide rank, but they excel at different grade levels: Bungay School is stronger in 4th grade, while Chatfield-LoPresti School is stronger in 3rd and 5th grade math, with a 15.9-point gap in 5th grade math favoring Chatfield-LoPresti School. Overall, Seymour's schools are solidly mid-pack, with clear bright spots in middle school science, high school math, elementary math, and attendance at Bungay School, while high school ELA and middle/high school absenteeism remain the areas most in need of attention.