Summary:
Regional School District 09 is a single-school district in Redding, CT, home to Joel Barlow High School, which serves grades 9 through 12 with 698 students. This one school is the entire district, so its metrics double as the district’s own, and the results are exceptional: the school holds a 5-star rating and ranks 3rd out of 153 districts statewide, placing it in the top 2% of Connecticut. In recent years it has ranked as high as 2nd (2025–2026) and 4th (2023–2024), showing consistent, elite-level performance.
Academically, Joel Barlow far exceeds state averages in every subject. On the 2025–2026 SAT, 89.7% of 11th graders met or exceeded ELA proficiency (state: 55.3%), while math proficiency reached 66.9% (state: 31.3%). Science proficiency on the NGSS was even stronger at 92.1% (state: 50.5%). These scores also improved substantially from the prior year—ELA up 8.4 points, math up 6.3, and science up 6.5. Graduation is nearly universal at 97.8%, well above the state’s 91.2%, and chronic absenteeism is just 8.9% compared to 16.4% statewide. With a favorable 11:1 student-teacher ratio and per-student spending of $23,477, the school offers small classes and strong resources. Only 10.89% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting an affluent community that likely supports academic success through added opportunities and stability.
For parents, the takeaway is clear: this is one of Connecticut’s top high schools, combining near-perfect graduation rates, excellent attendance, and standout proficiency in reading and science. The relative weak spot is math—though 66.9% proficiency is more than double the state norm, it trails the school’s own science and ELA scores by about 20 to 25 points. Still, given the school’s remarkable year-over-year gains and top-3 district ranking, any gap is minor in the broader picture. As a single-school district, all of this excellence is directly attributable to Joel Barlow High School, making it both the district’s sole representative and its whole success story.
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