Middle Schools in Simsbury School District

Simsbury School District is home to one middle school, Henry James Memorial School, serving grades 7–8 in Simsbury, CT, with an enrollment of 685 students. The district ranks 15th out of 153 Connecticut districts (90th percentile) with a 5-star rating, and the school ranks 21st out of 258 Connecticut middle schools for 2025–2026, placing it in the 92nd percentile with 5 stars.

Academically, Henry James Memorial exceeds Connecticut state averages by approximately 25–30 percentage points in every tested subject. In 2025–2026, 7th grade ELA proficiency was 78.9% and 8th grade ELA was 73.8%, compared to roughly 52% and 51% statewide. Math proficiency reached 70.6% in 7th grade and 71.2% in 8th grade, versus about 44% and 42% statewide, while 8th grade science hit 76.2% versus 50.9% statewide. The most dramatic year-over-year change was an increase of 10.2 percentage points in 8th grade math, rising from 61.0% to 71.2% — enough to surpass 7th grade math. In contrast, 7th grade math dipped 1.8 points, the only meaningful decline in the data. Since this is the district's only middle school, its scores closely mirror district averages, making the school directly responsible for the district's strong statewide ranking.

Attendance and resources round out the picture. The school's chronic absenteeism rate of 11.4% is well below Connecticut's 16.4% average but above the district's 7.9%, a gap worth monitoring. The student–teacher ratio of 12.5 supports small class sizes, and the free/reduced lunch rate of 17.08% reflects a comparatively advantaged community. The school has also improved its statewide rank steadily, moving from 31st in 2023–2024 (88th percentile, 4 stars) to 24th in 2024–2025 (90th percentile, 5 stars) and now 21st in 2025–2026 (92nd percentile, 5 stars). With this consistent upward trajectory, Henry James Memorial School appears well positioned to break into the top 20 middle schools in Connecticut in the near future.