Middle Schools in Naugatuck School District

The Naugatuck School District in Connecticut serves three middle-level schools: City Hill Middle School (grades 7-8), Cross Street Intermediate School (grades 5-6), and Hillside Intermediate School (grades 5-6). Together these schools enroll about 1,217 students, with roughly 58.5% eligible for free/reduced-price lunch. The district is ranked 125th out of 153 Connecticut districts (18th percentile), placing it below average statewide. However, the individual schools tell a more varied story.

Among the three, Cross Street Intermediate is the clear academic standout. It beat the district average in every reported subject and grade, achieved a 6th grade ELA proficiency rate of 54.8% (above the state's 51.2%), and posted the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 17.4%. City Hill Middle is improving: its state ranking rose from 162nd to 153rd, and 8th grade science proficiency jumped 7.1 points to 43.8%. Yet City Hill also has the highest chronic absenteeism rate at 22.8% and a notably low 8th grade math rate of 26.8%. Hillside Intermediate faces the toughest challenges: the highest poverty rate (64.38% FRL), the lowest test scores, and a 5th grade math proficiency of just 24.8%.

Several patterns stand out. Sixth graders at both intermediate schools outperform 5th graders by wide margins in ELA and math, while 5th grade math is a district-wide weakness: only 26.6% are proficient versus 45.8% statewide. At City Hill, 7th graders outperform 8th graders in both subjects, suggesting an upper-grade dip. Notably, Hillside has the lowest student-teacher ratio (10.4) but the weakest results, while Cross Street has the highest ratio (14.1) and the best outcomes—meaning staffing levels alone do not drive success. Chronic absenteeism is a district concern, especially at City Hill, and poverty levels track closely with performance. In short, Cross Street is the strongest school academically, City Hill is improving but hampered by attendance issues, and Hillside faces the greatest demographic hurdles.