Middle Schools in Regional School District 20

Regional School District 20 is home to one middle school, Plumb Hill Middle School, serving grades 6–8 in Litchfield, Connecticut, with an enrollment of 351 students. As the district's only middle school, Plumb Hill's results represent the full middle-school picture for the area, and it is a strong one: the school ranks 54th out of 258 Connecticut middle schools, placing it in the 79th percentile with a 4-star rating for 2025–2026. Academic performance is well above state averages in every tested subject, and chronic absenteeism sits at just 1.8%, compared to 12.4% for the district and 16.4% for the state. A favorable 10.5:1 student-teacher ratio also supports personalized instruction.

On the 2024–2025 state tests, Plumb Hill's average ELA proficiency was 71.1% versus 50.4% statewide, math proficiency reached 59.2% compared to 42.3% statewide, and 8th-grade science hit 70.0% versus 50.3% statewide. Results held steady or improved the following year in most areas, with 2025–2026 math rising to 60.2% and science climbing to 71.4%, both well above state averages. The most notable shifts occurred at the 8th-grade level: ELA proficiency dropped sharply from 76.5% to 62.1%, while math surged from 54.2% to 67.0%, the school's largest year-over-year gain. Since 6th- and 7th-grade ELA remained stable or improved, the 8th-grade decline may reflect a specific cohort effect rather than a broader trend, and the math turnaround shows the school's capacity for strong gains.

Science is a clear strength at Plumb Hill, outperforming the state by roughly 20 percentage points in 8th-grade NGSS science. About 25.6% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, yet proficiency rates remain far above state averages, indicating strong academic support across student groups. Although the district overall carries a 3-star rating and ranks in the 59th percentile of districts, that rating likely reflects elementary or high school performance, since Plumb Hill's middle-school results are considerably stronger. For parents, Plumb Hill Middle School offers a well-resourced, high-attendance environment with a top-quartile state ranking, strong science and math outcomes, and the small class sizes that come with a low student-teacher ratio.