Elementary Schools in Windsor Locks School District

The Windsor Locks School District in Connecticut has two elementary schools serving grades PK–5: North Street School (PK–2, 396 students) and South Elementary School (3–5, 285 students), together enrolling 681 students in a district ranked 130 out of 153 districts statewide with a 1-star rating. Both schools serve similar populations, with roughly 49–51% of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch, and both spend heavily on education—about $18,400 to $18,900 per student—while maintaining very low student-teacher ratios of 10.7 and 9.0, respectively. Despite these high inputs, academic outcomes are below state averages, and the district as a whole is in the bottom 15% of Connecticut districts.

The most useful comparison between the two schools comes from attendance and academics. South Elementary School is the only one with standardized test data because it serves grades 3–5, and it posts a notably strong chronic absenteeism rate of 11.9%, far better than the district's 21.2% and also better than the state's 16.4%. However, South’s state ranking has slipped sharply over three years, from the 43rd percentile in 2023–2024 down to the 25th percentile in 2025–2026, with 4th-grade math proficiency dropping from 37.2% to 29.3% and 4th-grade ELA falling from 32.1% to 29.3%. By contrast, North Street School has no school-level test scores due to its PK–2 grade span, but its chronic absenteeism rate is 17.8%—above the state average and roughly six points higher than South’s. This creates a disconnect where all elementary academic accountability falls on a single small school, making it hard to assess early-grade effectiveness.

Parents should know that South Elementary’s test scores trail the state by 10 to 23 percentage points in every subject and grade, with the largest gaps in 4th-grade math and ELA. There are some bright spots: 3rd-grade SBAC scores improved in both ELA and math between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, and South’s attendance is genuinely strong. Yet the overall pattern is one of high spending, low student-teacher ratios, and below-average academic proficiency. North Street’s higher absenteeism in the earliest grades may be an early warning sign. For families weighing the two schools, South offers better attendance and actual performance data, while North Street serves younger children with no public test scores—but the district's elementary schools as a whole face significant academic challenges despite strong resource investment.