Summary:
The West Haven School District contains six elementary schools serving grades PK-4, with a total enrollment of 2,224 students in a predominantly high-poverty area where every school has more than half of its students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The district as a whole ranks 119th out of 153 Connecticut school districts (22nd percentile, 1-star rating), indicating significant challenges, although individual schools vary widely in performance.
Edith E. Mackrille School is academically the district's strongest elementary school, ranking in the 62nd percentile statewide (186th out of 491) in 2025-26 and reaching the 70th percentile the prior year. Mackrille exceeds state averages in nearly every subject despite a 58.75% free/reduced-price lunch rate and is the district's smallest school. Seth G. Haley School is the second-highest-ranked school at the 45th percentile, with the district's lowest chronic absenteeism rate (15.2%) and lowest student-teacher ratio (9.3). At the other end of the spectrum, Savin Rock Community School — the district's largest school — faces the greatest hurdles, with a 70.81% free/reduced-price lunch rate, 28.9% chronic absenteeism, and the lowest proficiency rates overall.
Achievement gaps within the district are stark, with 4th-grade math proficiency ranging from 33.8% at Washington School to a remarkable 77.8% at Mackrille. Alma E. Pagels School has shown volatility, with strong 4th-grade results in 2024-25 followed by sharp declines in 2025-26, suggesting a cohort effect rather than systemic failure. Forest School made a notable 16.6-point improvement in 4th-grade ELA but remains below state averages. Washington School has limited test data and no recent ranking, making comparison difficult, but its available scores lag the district. Notably, Mackrille's success demonstrates that high achievement is possible despite poverty and absenteeism, and its practices could serve as a model for raising performance across the district.
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