Summary:
New Canaan School District is served by one high school, New Canaan High School, which enrolls about 1,257 students in grades 9 through 12 in the affluent community of New Canaan, CT. The district ranks 2nd out of 153 districts in Connecticut, placing it in the 99th percentile with a 5-star rating, and New Canaan High School shares that 5-star distinction. The school has ranked 4th in the state for 2025-2026, after claiming the #1 spot for both 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.
New Canaan High School posts exceptional outcomes across the board. Its graduation rate is 99.1%, well above the state average of 91.2%, and chronic absenteeism is just 4.6% compared to 16.4% statewide. The student-teacher ratio of 12.2:1 supports relatively small classes, and per-student spending is a robust $22,594. Test proficiency in 2025-2026 is far above state averages: 90.2% of 11th graders met or exceeded standards in ELA versus 55.3% statewide; 73.1% did so in Math versus 31.3% statewide; and 83.3% hit the mark in Science versus 50.5% statewide. Average proficiency across all three subjects is 82.2%, a striking 36.5 percentage points above the state average of 45.7%.
A few takeaways stand out. Math is the school's lowest proficiency area at 73.1%, but it also represents the school's largest advantage over the state at +41.8 points. Year-over-year performance is stable: ELA dipped slightly from 92.5% to 90.2% and Math from 74.9% to 73.1%, while Science held essentially flat at 83.3%. The school's 99.1% graduation rate and 4.6% chronic absenteeism—less than one-third the state rate—signal strong engagement and support systems. Only 0.24% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, reflecting a very low level of economic disadvantage. Since New Canaan High School is the district's only high school, the school and district metrics are nearly identical.
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