Summary:
The Westport School District in Westport, CT, serves one high school, Staples High School, for grades 9 through 12. This single high school is an elite performer, consistently ranking among the top handful of schools in Connecticut and offering a remarkably well-resourced education to a highly advantaged student body.
Staples High School is exceptional by nearly every measure. It holds a 5-star rating and ranks #3 out of 133 high schools statewide for 2025–2026, with a 98.5% graduation rate compared to the state average of 91.2%. Academic proficiency is far above state norms: 11th graders score 90.5% proficient in ELA, 85.3% in science, and 73.2% in math, versus state averages of 55.3%, 50.5%, and 31.3%, respectively. The school also benefits from a very low student-to-teacher ratio of 10.6:1 and per-student spending of $20,796, reflecting strong financial investment. However, math is the relative weak point — while still well above state levels, it lags behind the school’s own ELA and science scores, a pattern worth watching. Science proficiency jumped 9.1 percentage points year-over-year, while math dipped slightly.
Despite these elite outcomes, there are a couple of nuances. Chronic absenteeism at Staples High School is 9.2%, which is far better than the state’s 16.4% but notably higher than the district average of 6.6%. Also, with only 3.01% of students receiving free/reduced lunch, the school serves a very affluent population, meaning its results are not typical of schools with higher poverty levels. Over the past three years, Staples has ranked between #3 and #5 in the state, demonstrating sustained excellence. For parents, this is a top-tier high school with outstanding academics, strong graduation rates, and ample resources — the main areas to monitor are math performance and attendance relative to the district.
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