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ACES Chase Academy

Q: Is ACES Chase Academy a good school?

ACES Chase Academy ranks 146 th of 258 Connecticut middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 6-10

146^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 258 Connecticut Middle Schools

Better than 43% of Connecticut middle schools

Summary

ACES Chase Academy is a regional cooperative middle school in Waterbury, CT, serving 556 students in grades 6 through 10 — an unusual span, since most nearby middle schools only serve grades 6–8. Operated by the Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) district — which ranks in the bottom 7% of Connecticut — the school itself performs much better than that label suggests. It ranked 146th of 258 Connecticut middle schools in 2025–26, placing it in the 43rd percentile. Its student body is economically diverse: 41.7% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, far below the 82–86% rates at nearby Waterbury public schools but above more affluent districts.

The most striking comparison is with West Side Middle School, just 0.18 miles away on the same street. ACES Chase outperforms West Side and other Waterbury middle schools by a wide margin in nearly every subject. In 8th grade math, 37.0% of students were proficient versus 5.9% at West Side; in 8th grade science, 57.4% versus 18.5%. Science is a relative strength: the school's 8th grade science scores have met or exceeded the state average for three straight years. Still, ACES Chase trails highly rated suburban schools nearby — Long River Middle School and Memorial Middle School rank in the 60s–80s percentile with much higher scores. The school sits academically between the low-performing Waterbury public schools and the stronger suburban middle schools.

One encouraging trend is attendance. Chronic absenteeism at ACES Chase plummeted from 65.6% in 2021–22 to 11.5% in 2025–26, below the state average of 16.4%. The school also spends more per student — $25,029 — than nearby schools, which spend between $15,000 and $18,500, though its student-teacher ratio of 13.3 is higher than most neighbors, suggesting the extra spending goes toward services rather than smaller classes. The bottom line: ACES Chase is a solid middle-performing school that has solved its attendance problem and offers a stronger option than the Waterbury public schools around it, while trailing the top suburban schools. Subgroup performance has been uneven in recent years.

556

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$37,229

Per pupil spending ?

41.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

565 Chase Parkway
Waterbury, CT 06708

(203) 639-8403

District: Area Cooperative Educational Services

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

38.8%

White:

34.5%

African American:

16.9%

See top rated Connecticut middle schools

Compare ACES Chase Academy to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 27th percentile in 2016 → 43rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Connecticut average (40% vs 48% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Mathematics scores 12 pts below the Connecticut average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg30%

Connecticut avg48%

146^th of 258

Connecticut public middle schools ?

Bottom 43%▲ up 17 pts since 2016

From bottom 27% (2016) to bottom 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

142^nd of 153Area Cooperative Educational Services among Connecticut districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	39.2	146 of 258	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.5	139 of 252	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.5	128 of 250	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.4	149 of 249	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	147 of 250	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.2	153 of 275	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.4	142 of 259	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.1	159 of 249	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	32.9	157 of 250	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	23.1	180 of 246	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	34.9	180 of 280	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	36.6	204 of 278	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	43.1	188 of 272	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	33.0	204 of 269	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	39.9	188 of 268	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	40.2	174 of 255	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	31.1	185 of 252	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	30.3	185 of 250	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	31.0	185 of 248	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2024	56.8	13 of 33	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.0	19 of 32	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	67.3	8 of 40	80.0%	★★★★☆
2021	55.1	30 of 80	62.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	35.0	56 of 104	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	19.1	128 of 164	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.6	118 of 164	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.3	109 of 161	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.4	123 of 160	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.9	128 of 166	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.6	157 of 235	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.9	119 of 169	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.9	127 of 160	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	40.0	62 of 115	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.7	40 of 105	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.2	20 of 104	80.8%	★★★★☆
2023	49.0	38 of 99	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.3	24 of 97	75.3%	★★★★☆
2021	60.8	47 of 146	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.3	20 of 97	79.4%	★★★★☆
2018	50.6	24 of 75	68.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	27.5	81 of 112	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.8	62 of 117	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.5	54 of 114	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.2	56 of 109	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.9	57 of 106	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.5	90 of 218	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.0	45 of 104	56.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	32.2	107 of 164	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.7	101 of 162	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.1	92 of 157	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.1	117 of 158	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.1	121 of 169	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.7	128 of 224	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.3	112 of 167	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.9	116 of 164	29.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	56.8	105 of 244	57.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	22.4	119 of 150	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.5	109 of 153	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.7	101 of 154	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.5	125 of 158	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.4	128 of 151	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.3	133 of 175	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.4	110 of 166	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.2	115 of 168	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2024)61st percentile+12 vs school

Special Education (2021)57th percentile+13 vs school

Disabled (2021)46th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)46th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)35th percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)28th percentile-16 vs school

Female (2026)22nd percentile-21 vs school

White (2026)21st percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2025-2026) ?

Science57%+7 vs state

English Language Arts43%-9 vs state

Mathematics31%-12 vs state

1.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Horribly unorganized we're not sure who actually runs the school. Lol, it definitely shouldn't be called a Magnet school. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Worst school I have experienced. No interest at all in seeing students succeed. Low morale amongst teachers and students. Huge bullying problem that no one wants to deal with. Don't send your child here. Close Quote

Schools Near ACES Chase Academy

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				NGSS Science (2026)		SBAC English Language Arts (2026)					SBAC Mathematics (2026)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NGSS Science 5th Grade	NGSS Science 8th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 8th Grade	Total
ACES Chase Academy	Public, Magnet	6-10	565 Chase Parkway	Waterbury	06708	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Area Cooperative Educational Services	No	Yes	No	Yes	(203) 639-8403	556	42	13.3	41.7%	192 (34.5%)	94 (16.9%)	216 (38.8%)	12 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (7.4%)	39.2	146^th of 258 public middle schools	43.4%		41.5	139^th of 252 public middle schools	44.8%	7		57.4			42.4	39.8	45.2			31.5	25.2	37.0	$37,229
West Side Middle School	Public	6-8	483 Chase Parkway	Waterbury	06708	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8120	848	80	10.6	82.2%	68 (8.0%)	161 (19.0%)	576 (67.9%)	10 (1.2%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (3.7%)	13	217^th of 258 public middle schools	15.9%		12.6	208^th of 252 public middle schools	17.5%	9		18.5			30.5	31.3	31.4			15.6	14.7	5.9	$22,056
Memorial Middle School	Public	6-8	1 Memorial Dr	Middlebury	06762	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Regional School District 15	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 758-2496	420	37	11.3	11.4%	332 (79.0%)	13 (3.1%)	37 (8.8%)	23 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.6%)	68.7	83^rd of 258 public middle schools	67.8%		68.4	82^nd of 252 public middle schools	67.5%	1		80.8			53.7	50.3	61.5			54.1	51.7	59.2	$23,410
Swift Middle School	Public	6-8	250 Colonial St.	Oakville	06779	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Watertown School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 945-4830	591	54	10.9	44.3%	458 (77.5%)	23 (3.9%)	77 (13.0%)	7 (1.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (3.9%)	40.3	145^th of 258 public middle schools	43.8%		45.8	128^th of 252 public middle schools	49.2%	17		46.4			46.4	44.0	40.6			32.5	44.2	33.7	$22,884
Hillside Intermediate School	Public	5-6	51 Hillside Ave.	Naugatuck	06770	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Naugatuck School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 720-5260	292	28	10.4	64.4%	110 (37.7%)	24 (8.2%)	140 (47.9%)	3 (1.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.5%)								(n/a)	479.0			37.6	50.6				24.8	36.1			$18,697
City Hill Middle School	Public	7-8	441 City Hill St.	Naugatuck	06770	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Naugatuck School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 720-5246	614	49	12.5	58.8%	227 (37.0%)	81 (13.2%)	263 (42.8%)	11 (1.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.9%)	36.2	153^rd of 258 public middle schools	40.7%		30.9	155^th of 252 public middle schools	38.5%	2		43.8				46.3	41.1				34.4	26.8	$18,949
North End Middle School	Public	6-8	534 Bucks Hill Rd.	Waterbury	06704	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8097	766	77	9.9	86.3%	44 (5.7%)	175 (22.8%)	509 (66.4%)	8 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (3.8%)	8.7	237^th of 258 public middle schools	8.1%		8.5	233^rd of 252 public middle schools	7.5%	4		23.6			21.1	18.5	22.8			9.6	9.9	8.2	$22,469
Michael F. Wallace Middle School	Public	4-8	3465 East Main St.	Waterbury	06705	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8140	1,059	93	11.4	85.9%	104 (9.8%)	240 (22.7%)	647 (61.1%)	24 (2.3%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (3.7%)	18.1	194^th of 258 public middle schools	24.8%		18.8	191^st of 252 public middle schools	24.2%	3	510.0	32.1	65.0	2557.0	31.6	32.9	36.8	2484.0	2527.0	16.3	17.7	14.5	$20,172
Tyrrell Middle School	Public	6-8	500 Todd Rd.	Wolcott	06716	Capitol Planning Region	Wolcott School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 879-8151	498	54	9.2	35.7%	355 (71.3%)	20 (4.0%)	99 (19.9%)	13 (2.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.8%)	68.3	88^th of 258 public middle schools	65.9%		71.9	79^th of 252 public middle schools	68.7%	9		54.4			58.6	63.1	68.3			49.3	51.0	54.0	$20,849
Cross Street Intermediate School	Public	5-6	120 Cross St.	Naugatuck	06770	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Naugatuck School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 720-5227	311	22	14.1	52.4%	121 (38.9%)	38 (12.2%)	125 (40.2%)	9 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.8%)								(n/a)	44.7			45.7	54.8				28.5	38.6			$19,714

Frequently Asked Questions about ACES Chase Academy

What is the racial makeup of ACES Chase Academy?

Students at ACES Chase Academy are 39% Hispanic, 35% White, 17% African American, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend ACES Chase Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 556 students attended ACES Chase Academy.

Is ACES Chase Academy a good school?

ACES Chase Academy ranks 146^th of 258 Connecticut middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is ACES Chase Academy in?

Area Cooperative Educational Services

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Latest Connecticut data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesAug 31, 2026

2025–26 NGSS, SAT & SBAC test scoresAug 31, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataApr 2, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataNov 6, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Connecticut Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.