Elementary Schools in Waterbury School District

The Waterbury School District includes 21 elementary schools serving grades PK-5, PK-8, and K-5 in a high-poverty urban district that ranks in the 6th percentile statewide, with a 0-star district rating.

For parents, the clearest bright spots are Roberto Clemente International Dual Language School (44th percentile), Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School (40th), Carrington School (40th), Regan School (39th), and Rotella Interdistrict Magnet School (37th). These schools outperform the district average and all have chronic absenteeism below 7% — Rotella at 3.5% and Regan at 4.3%. In contrast, the lowest-ranked schools — Bunker Hill, Woodrow Wilson, Walsh, Reed, and Driggs — all have chronic absenteeism above 29%, and some proficiency rates below 10%. The average free/reduced-price lunch rate is 79.1%, and the average chronic absenteeism rate is 19.0%.

Three of the top five schools are magnet or dual-language programs, suggesting specialized programming is a district strength. However, math proficiency tends to decline sharply from 3rd to 5th grade across many schools, and per-pupil spending (averaging $15,615) does not predict performance — Regan has the lowest spending but is a top school, while Walsh has high spending and ranks near the bottom. Student-teacher ratios also vary widely, from 7.2:1 at Bucks Hill to 17.5:1 at Clemente, yet Clemente is the highest-ranked school. The most consistent pattern is attendance: reducing chronic absenteeism and learning from successful magnet/dual-language schools appear to be the highest-leverage priorities for district improvement.