Elm City College Preparatory School

Elm City College Preparatory School is a K-12 public charter school in New Haven, CT, serving 760 students and operating as its own district — the Elm City College Preparatory School District — rather than part of the larger New Haven Public Schools system. The school serves a predominantly low-income population, with 78.2% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The most encouraging metrics are a 90.7% graduation rate in 2024-25, nearly matching the state average of 91.2%, and SAT reading and writing proficiency of 53.1% among 11th graders, close to the 58.0% state average.

The biggest challenges are absenteeism and math. Chronic absenteeism is the highest among comparable charters at 30.4% in 2025-26 — nearly double the state average of 16.4% and well above Capital Preparatory Harbor School (18.9%) and Amistad Academy (26.4%) — though it has improved from 51.2% in 2021-22. Math proficiency plummets after fourth grade: 35.4% of 4th graders were proficient, but just 9.0% of 5th graders and 11.1% of 6th graders were, versus state averages around 45%. Science is also weak, with 5th grade proficiency at 17.9% compared to 52.9% statewide. SAT math proficiency is 18.8% versus 31.1% statewide.

Elm City also stands out for spending $15,370 per student — far more than Amistad Academy ($12,250) or Achievement First Bridgeport Academy ($12,249) — yet its test scores are generally not stronger, and its student-teacher ratio of 19.4 is higher than Amistad's 10.8. Performance varies considerably from year to year, making it hard to spot clear trends. The combination of a near-average graduation rate with low test scores and high absenteeism suggests graduation does not necessarily reflect academic mastery. The overall picture is a school with genuine strengths in early elementary math and high school reading and an improving attendance record, but serious, persistent gaps in middle school math and science.