New London School District

The New London School District serves 2,820 students across 8 schools (3 elementary, 2 middle, and 3 high-school pathways) and ranks 151 out of 153 Connecticut districts—the bottom 1% statewide. About 66% of students attend a magnet or themed pathway, and every school is high-poverty, with free/reduced-price lunch rates ranging from 73.9% at Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School to 94.2% at Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School.

The Science and Technology Magnet Pathway for High School Grades is the district's strongest high school, with a 92.6% graduation rate and the only 2-star ranking in the district. New London High School is the most concerning: it ranked dead last in Connecticut (141 of 141), with a 78.5% graduation rate and 38.4% chronic absenteeism; the New London Visual and Performing Arts Magnet Pathway sits between them, with an 84.6% graduation rate. The Science and Technology Magnet Pathway for Middle Grades is the middle-school standout, posting 18.8% chronic absenteeism and 32.8% 6th-grade ELA proficiency versus just 9.6% at Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School. Among elementaries, Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School beats district averages in nearly every subject (3rd-grade math: 38.4% vs. 21.1%), while C.B. Jennings International Elementary Magnet ranks 487 of 491 schools with just 11.8% 3rd-grade ELA proficiency. Nathan Hale Arts Magnet School sits in between, with 19.0% chronic absenteeism.

Every school in the district falls below Connecticut state averages in all tested subjects, and math is the biggest weakness: middle-school math proficiency ranges from 8.5% to 10.2% versus state averages around 42%. Chronic absenteeism is a crisis, at 26.6% versus 16.4% statewide, ranging from 18.8% at the Science and Technology Magnet Pathway for Middle Grades to 38.4% at New London High School. Science offers bright spots: Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School's 5th-grade science hit 48.8% in 2024-25, nearly matching the state's 52.2%. Spending and class size do not explain outcomes—Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School has the lowest student-teacher ratio (7.2:1) yet is among the weakest, while the strongest middle school has the highest ratio (19.2:1). Even on shared campuses, results diverge sharply: the Science and Technology Magnet Pathway for High School Grades graduates 92.6% versus 78.5% at New London High School.