Middle Schools in East Haddam School District

The East Haddam School District is home to just one middle school, Nathan Hale-Ray Middle School, which serves grades 4 through 8 in Moodus, Connecticut, with an enrollment of 346 students. Overall, this school is a solid performer compared to the rest of the state, especially in the early middle grades. In 2025–2026, its average English Language Arts proficiency was 56% versus 51.8% statewide, and it posted a strong 78.3% proficiency rate in 4th-grade ELA, more than 27 points above the state average. Sixth-grade math also stood out at 55% proficiency, about 10 points above Connecticut’s average. The school’s 5th-grade science results in the prior year were excellent as well, with 64.5% proficient compared to 52.2% statewide. Chronic absenteeism is notably better than the state average (11.4% vs. 16.4%), and the school maintains a favorable 9.1:1 student-to-teacher ratio.

Despite these strengths, the data reveals a striking and concerning pattern in 5th grade. The same cohort that scored 60% proficient in both ELA and math as 4th graders in 2024–2025 dropped to 43.2% in ELA and just 35.1% in math as 5th graders in 2025–2026—a decline of nearly 17 points in ELA and 25 points in math. This steep drop suggests a possible transition issue, curriculum gap, or testing irregularity specific to this cohort. Additionally, 8th-grade ELA has remained below the state average for two consecutive years, and math proficiency generally tends to weaken as students move into higher grades. The school’s overall math average in 2025–2026 was essentially tied with the state, about 12 points lower than its own ELA average.

Looking at rankings, Nathan Hale-Ray Middle School currently sits in the 55th percentile of Connecticut middle schools (rank 116 out of 258) with a 3-star rating, which is a slight improvement over the prior year but still below its stronger 61st-percentile ranking from 2023–2024. Notably, the school outperforms its district’s overall 39th-percentile rank, suggesting it is one of the stronger pieces of the East Haddam School District. With ample resources, a low student-teacher ratio, and strong early-grade literacy, this school offers a solid foundation, but the sharp 5th-grade decline and sagging math performance in later grades are key issues for parents to watch.