High Schools in Regional School District 04

Regional School District 04 is home to one high school, Valley Regional High School, serving grades 9–12 in Deep River, CT, with an enrollment of 429 students. This school stands out as a strong overall performer compared to Connecticut state averages, particularly in graduation rate, attendance, English Language Arts, and Science. The most recent graduation rate is an impressive 97.4%, well above the state's 91.2%, while chronic absenteeism is 13.0% — below the state rate of 16.4%. The school has also improved its state ranking, moving from 64th out of 145 schools in 2023–2024 to 45th out of 133 in 2025–2026, now sitting in the 66th percentile with a 3-star rating.

Academically, Valley Regional excels in ELA and Science, with proficiency rates of 68.0% and 63.5% respectively, both roughly 13 points above state averages. However, math is a clear weak point: only 31.1% of students are proficient in math, nearly identical to the state average of 31.3% and far below the school’s own performance in other subjects. The most recent year also saw declines in ELA (down 5.1 points) and math (down 4.5 points), though science improved by 4.3 points. These changes could be one-year fluctuations, but the continued math weakness is worth monitoring. With 27.27% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, the school serves a moderate proportion of economically disadvantaged students while still outperforming the state in multiple areas.

For parents, the main takeaway is that Valley Regional provides a safe, engaged learning environment with excellent graduation and attendance outcomes, and a strong foundation in reading and science. The biggest opportunity for improvement is in mathematics, where proficiency is essentially average and recently slipped further. Note that the only per-student spending figure available is $3,132 from 2018–2019, which is likely an incomplete measure of total funding and should not be used to judge the school’s resources. Overall, this is a solid, above-average high school that has shown upward momentum in state rankings, making it a dependable choice for families in the district.