Summary:
Jared Eliot School is the sole middle school in the Clinton School District, serving grades 5 through 8 with 418 students and effectively defining the district's middle-level performance. The school has earned a 3-star rating for three consecutive years, though its state ranking slipped from 92nd to 109th out of 258 schools (58th percentile), a modest decline worth watching.
Academically, Jared Eliot School shows clear strengths in upper-grade math and science. In 2025-2026, 7th grade math proficiency was 54.7% compared to the state's 44.1%, and 8th grade math reached 50.9% versus 41.9% statewide. Fifth grade science was the school's biggest positive gap at 63.7% proficiency, 10.8 points above the state. English Language Arts is more mixed: 7th grade ELA outpaced the state (55.7% vs. 52.2%), but 8th grade ELA proficiency was just 42.9%, a notable 8.2-point deficit. Fifth graders also enter somewhat behind state averages in both ELA and math, suggesting the incoming cohort needs support. Encouragingly, cohort tracking shows strong year-over-year growth — one group improved ELA proficiency from 38.6% in 5th grade to 51.7% in 6th grade, and another jumped from 51.4% to 55.7% in ELA between 6th and 7th grade.
Beyond test scores, the school benefits from a low chronic absenteeism rate of 10.3%, well below the state's 16.4%, and a favorable student-teacher ratio of 9.8 students per teacher, which likely supports individualized attention. Nearly half of students (47.61%) qualify for free/reduced lunch, indicating moderate economic need. While the district ranks in the 42nd percentile statewide, Jared Eliot School ranks in the 58th percentile among Connecticut middle schools, making it a relative bright spot that lifts the district's overall standing. The main priority for improvement is clearly 8th grade ELA proficiency, as strengthening that area while maintaining momentum in math and science would likely improve the school's state ranking in coming years.
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