Elementary Schools in Montville School District

The Montville School District in Connecticut is home to three elementary schools — Mohegan School (PK–5), Dr. Charles E. Murphy School (PK–5), and Oakdale School (K–5) — serving roughly 870 students across Uncasville and Oakdale, with the district itself ranked 104th out of 153 Connecticut districts. All three schools maintain low student-to-teacher ratios (between 10.9 and 11.7) and chronic absenteeism rates well below district and state averages, making attendance a relative strength across the district.

Oakdale School is the current standout. It ranks 201st out of 491 schools (59th percentile), its best showing in three years, and leads the district in 5th-grade ELA, math, and science proficiency (64.3%, 64.3%, and 71.4% respectively). Oakdale also has by far the lowest chronic absenteeism at 5.5% — less than one-third of the district rate — and the lowest economic disadvantage (34.7% free/reduced-price lunch). Dr. Charles E. Murphy School was the district's top-ranked school in 2023–24 and 2024–25 but has slipped to the 52nd percentile. Murphy still posts strong 4th-grade scores (58.5% ELA, 62.3% math), though its 3rd-grade proficiency dropped sharply this year. Mohegan School faces the greatest challenges: its ranking has declined three straight years to 311th (37th percentile), it has the lowest test averages, the highest poverty rate (52.8%), and the lowest per-student spending despite serving the highest-need population.

Several patterns stand out. Academic performance aligns closely with poverty and attendance across the three schools, and there is a notable resource question: the school with the highest poverty (Mohegan) receives the least per-student funding ($16,205), while the lowest-poverty school (Oakdale) receives the most ($18,738). Fifth-grade math is a district-wide weak point — both Mohegan and Murphy drop significantly from 4th to 5th grade — but Oakdale bucks the trend at 64.3% proficient. ELA, meanwhile, improves across grade levels at all three schools. Murphy's 3rd-grade decline and Mohegan's downward trajectory are worth watching, though small enrollments (271–305 students) mean a single cohort can shift percentages dramatically.