Suffield School District

Suffield School District serves approximately 2,011 students across four schools in Suffield, Connecticut, covering grades PK through 12, and holds a 3-star rating with a statewide rank of 71st out of 153 districts. The school system is anchored by Suffield High School, which stands out for its 97.4% graduation rate and exceptional science proficiency (79.5% vs. 50.5% statewide), while also leading the district in ELA with 69.2% proficiency. Its math proficiency is comparatively weaker at 42.9%, though still above the state average. Suffield Middle School is a math powerhouse, with proficiency rates ranging from 58.6% to 65.2% across grades 6–8, far outpacing state averages, but it also saw notable declines in 2025–26, including a 12-point drop in 8th grade math and a 9.6-point drop in 8th grade ELA.

Among the elementary schools, A. Ward Spaulding School (PK–2) excels in early attendance with a chronic absenteeism rate of just 5.6%, the lowest in the district and well below the state’s 16.4%. McAlister Intermediate School (grades 3–5) posts strong 4th and 5th grade results in both ELA and math, but its 3rd grade ELA proficiency fell sharply from 58.2% to 43.8% in one year, now below the state average of 47.3%—a critical early-warning signal for the district. Chronic absenteeism more than doubles after elementary school, rising from 5.6% at Spaulding to 12.5% at both the middle and high schools, though the district overall remains better than the state.

The district’s strengths are clear: high school science and graduation rates are standout, and middle school math remains above state norms even after recent declines. However, math is consistently the weakest subject across all levels, and per-student spending is highest at Suffield Middle School ($18,398) despite those test score drops. School-level rankings show Suffield High School in the 77th percentile and Suffield Middle School in the 71st percentile, both rated 4 stars, while McAlister sits at the 57th percentile with 3 stars. Parents should watch the 2025–26 declines at McAlister and the middle school, particularly in 3rd grade ELA and 8th grade math, even as the district maintains a solid overall foundation.