Summary:
The Derby School District serves approximately 1,226 students across four schools — Derby High School (grades 9–12), Derby Middle School (grades 6–8), Irving School (grades K–5), and Bradley School (grades K–5) — in Derby, Connecticut. The district overall ranks in the 8th percentile statewide, placing it among the lower-performing districts in Connecticut, but the schools within it tell very different stories.
Bradley School is the clear standout, ranking in the 46th percentile (2 stars) and beating state averages in several subjects — 63.6% proficiency in 4th grade ELA and 61.4% in 4th grade math, compared to state averages of 50.9% and 52.1%. At the other end, Irving School ranks in the 7th percentile (0 stars) with just 11.4% of 4th graders proficient in math and 22.5% in ELA — a staggering 50-point and 41-point gap compared to Bradley. Derby Middle School ranks in the 25th percentile but has the district's highest chronic absenteeism rate at 25.0%, and its math proficiency ranges from just 14.0% to 21.8%. Derby High School graduates 83.3% of students, above the district average but below the state's 91.2%, and spends the most per student at $20,445.
Several patterns stand out. The highest-performing school, Bradley, does not have the highest spending — in fact, Irving spends more per student yet performs far worse. Low student-teacher ratios districtwide (9.2 to 12.5) have not translated into strong achievement, suggesting poverty and absenteeism play a larger role. Chronic absenteeism is a particular concern at the middle school, where one in four students is chronically absent. For parents, the key takeaway is that school choice within Derby matters enormously: Bradley is approaching state averages, while Irving and Derby Middle School face serious academic challenges that would benefit from studying what makes Bradley successful.
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