Odyssey Community School

Odyssey Community School is a PK-8 public school in Manchester, CT, that serves 410 students and operates as its own single-school district, the Odyssey Community School District, making it the only local option for families seeking continuous elementary-through-middle-school education in one building.

The school has become a genuine success story over the past eight years. In 2017-2018, Odyssey ranked in the 24th percentile of Connecticut schools with a 1-star rating; by 2025-2026, it had climbed to the 53rd percentile with a 3-star rating, and it has held that 3-star status for five consecutive years. Academically, math is Odyssey's clear strength. In 2025-2026, 4th graders posted a 73.7% math proficiency rate—more than 20 points above the state average and nearly 10 points ahead of the next-closest neighboring school, Highland Park School. Fourth-grade ELA was also a standout at 65.8%, leading the local cluster. Middle school math continues the trend, with 7th and 8th grade scores exceeding state averages by 8 to 14 points. That said, English language arts results are more uneven, and small grade-level cohorts of roughly 40-50 students mean scores can swing noticeably from year to year.

Odyssey also stands out operationally. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 9.1% is dramatically lower than the state rate of 16.4% and far below nearby schools, where rates range from 12.3% to 26.9%. The school achieves these results while spending just $13,531 per student—the lowest among surrounding schools, which spend between $16,055 and $20,704. Approximately 40.5% of Odyssey students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 52-77% at neighboring schools. Families considering Odyssey should view its test scores as a strong overall indicator, while keeping in mind that cohort-to-cohort variation in literacy means individual grade-level results can fluctuate from year to year.