Summary:
The Derby School District in Derby, Connecticut operates two public elementary schools spanning grades K-5 — Irving School (enrollment 322) and Bradley School (enrollment 244) — serving a combined 566 students in a district ranked in the 8th percentile statewide.
Bradley School is the clear standout, climbing from the 32nd percentile in 2023-2024 to the 46th percentile in 2025-2026, with a peak at the 53rd percentile in 2024-2025. Bradley School has earned 2–3 stars, while Irving School has earned 0 stars for three consecutive years and ranks in the bottom 5–9% of Connecticut elementary schools. Test score gaps are enormous: Bradley's 4th grade ELA proficiency is 63.6% versus Irving's 22.5%, and Bradley's 4th grade math proficiency is 61.4% versus Irving's 11.4%. Bradley exceeds the Connecticut state average in both 4th grade subjects, while Irving falls far below district averages in every reported subject and grade.
Interestingly, Irving School spends more per student ($19,483 vs. $18,397) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (9.2 vs. 10.6), yet achieves far weaker results. Chronic absenteeism is similar at both schools (16.8% at Irving School vs. 17.9% at Bradley School), and both are below the district average of 20.1%. Irving School does serve a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students (64.9% vs. 46.7% free/reduced lunch eligibility), which likely contributes to the gap, but the key takeaway is that Bradley School proves strong achievement is possible within this low-ranked district. For parents, Bradley School is performing notably better and improving, while Irving School shows a concerning pattern of stagnant, low performance, particularly in math as students move into 4th and 5th grade.
Thank you for your feedback!