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Mary R. Tisko School

Q: Is Mary R. Tisko School a good school?

Mary R. Tisko School ranks 135 th of 493 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

135^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 493 Connecticut Elementary Schools

Better than 73% of Connecticut elementary schools

Summary

Mary R. Tisko School is an elementary school in Branford, Connecticut, serving 345 students in grades PK-4. The school consistently outperforms the Branford School District and the state of Connecticut in standardized test scores, particularly in English Language Arts and Mathematics. In the 2024-2025 school year, 67.7% of 3rd-grade students and 60% of 4th-grade students at Mary R. Tisko School were proficient or better in SBAC/English Language Arts, compared to 54.8% and 65.4% in the Branford School District, respectively. Similarly, 79% of 3rd-grade students and 65.5% of 4th-grade students at Mary R. Tisko School were proficient or better in SBAC/Mathematics, compared to 60.2% and 51.7% in the Branford School District.

While Mary R. Tisko School has historically been a high-performing school, its ranking and star rating have declined in recent years, from a peak of 4 stars in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years to 3 stars in the last several years. The school has also experienced a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 5.0% in the 2023-2024 school year to 17.7% in the 2023-2024 school year. Compared to nearby schools, Mary R. Tisko School generally outperforms the other Branford elementary schools, such as Mary T. Murphy School and John B. Sliney School, in academic performance, particularly in Mathematics.

Despite its overall strong performance, Mary R. Tisko School's performance among white students is less impressive, ranking 133 out of 248 Connecticut elementary schools in the 2024-2025 school year, with a 2-star rating. The school has a relatively low percentage of free and reduced lunch recipients, ranging from 19.6% to 20.06% in recent years, which is lower than the state average. Additionally, Mary R. Tisko School has a higher per-student spending ($18,441 in 2018-2019) compared to the state average and a relatively low student-teacher ratio (11.4 in 2023-2024) compared to the nearby schools.

365

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,554

Per pupil spending ?

17.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

118 Damascus Rd.
Branford, CT 06405

(203) 483-1826

District: Branford School District

Students who attend Mary R. Tisko School usually attend:

Middle:	Francis Walsh Intermediate School
High:	Branford High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.9%

Hispanic:

11.8%

Two or more races:

3.8%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 73rd percentile in 2015 → 73rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Connecticut average (69% vs 50% meeting standards)

✓Above the Connecticut median (73rd percentile)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school69%

District avg60%

Connecticut avg50%

135^th of 493

Connecticut public elementary schools ?

Top 27%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Elementary Schools in the Branford School District

81^st of 156Branford School District 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
2025	76.1	135 of 493	72.6%	★★★★☆
2024	72.5	156 of 497	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.8	198 of 491	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.8	191 of 490	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.3	250 of 538	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.1	208 of 522	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.0	183 of 532	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	69.1	176 of 519	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	80.1	116 of 518	77.6%	★★★★☆
2015	76.5	148 of 551	73.1%	★★★★☆
2013	84.4	24 of 557	95.7%	★★★★★
2012	80.8	66 of 564	88.3%	★★★★☆
2011	84.4	14 of 565	97.5%	★★★★★
2010	84.7	10 of 579	98.3%	★★★★★
2009	78.9	102 of 566	82.0%	★★★★☆
2008	79.2	100 of 565	82.3%	★★★★☆
2007	81.9	59 of 568	89.6%	★★★★☆
2006	84.5	30 of 570	94.7%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2023	51.9	131 of 230	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.2	249 of 455	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	63.4	118 of 259	54.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	58.2	186 of 445	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.0	96 of 247	61.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	53.4	133 of 248	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.9	155 of 250	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.5	185 of 262	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.2	212 of 252	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.2	284 of 327	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.4	219 of 295	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.9	187 of 296	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2021)58th percentile+5 vs school

White (2025)46th percentile-26 vs school

Female (2023)43rd percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics79%+27 vs state

English Language Arts64%+15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Mary R. Tisko School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SBAC English Language Arts (2025)			SBAC Mathematics (2025)						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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SBAC English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 8th Grade	Total
Mary R. Tisko School	Public	PK, KG-4	118 Damascus Rd.	Branford	06405	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	Branford School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 483-1826	365	31	11.8	17.8%	299 (81.9%)	3 (0.8%)	43 (11.8%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (3.8%)	76.1	135^th of 493 public elementary schools	72.6%		72.5	156^th of 497 public elementary schools	68.6%	21	67.7	60.0		79.0						$23,554
John B. Sliney School	Public	PK, KG-4	23 Eades St.	Branford	06405	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	Branford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 481-5386	252	28	8.8	47.2%	162 (64.3%)	9 (3.6%)	53 (21.0%)	8 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.9%)	60.6	212^th of 493 public elementary schools	57.0%		67.8	182^nd of 497 public elementary schools	63.4%	30	52.9	67.3			52.7					$26,959
Mary T. Murphy School	Public	PK, KG-4	14 Brushy Plain Rd.	Branford	06405	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	Branford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 483-1832	318	31	10.3	44.0%	167 (52.5%)	12 (3.8%)	72 (22.6%)	46 (14.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.6%)	55.5	234^th of 493 public elementary schools	52.5%		48.2	258^th of 497 public elementary schools	48.1%	24	45.8	69.0		51.4	58.6					$25,669
Jerome Harrison School	Public	PK, KG-2	335 Foxon Rd.	North Branford	06471	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	North Branford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 484-1235	385	30	12.8	24.9%	317 (82.3%)	5 (1.3%)	36 (9.4%)	7 (1.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.9%)								(n/a)										$19,123
Deer Run School	Public	PK, KG-2	311 Foxon Rd.	East Haven	06512	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	East Haven School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 468-3324	232	21	11.0	54.7%	100 (43.1%)	16 (6.9%)	93 (40.1%)	7 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (6.9%)								(n/a)										$25,261
Grove J. Tuttle School	Public	K-5	108 Prospect St.	East Haven	06512	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	East Haven School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 468-3315	270	22	12.3	65.9%	116 (43.0%)	11 (4.1%)	121 (44.8%)	17 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.9%)	9.3	441^st of 493 public elementary schools	10.5%		15.7	390^th of 497 public elementary schools	21.5%	51	23.4	22.5	26.3	17.0	20.0	23.7				$17,205
Carbone School/East Haven Academy	Public	1-8	200 Tyler St.	East Haven	06512	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	East Haven School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 468-3219	363	24	15.3	47.7%	226 (62.3%)	15 (4.1%)	92 (25.3%)	7 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.3%)	17.4	384^th of 493 public elementary schools	22.1%		21.2	361^st of 497 public elementary schools	27.4%	23	25.0	39.5		25.0	32.6		23.9	30.0	29.3	$16,145
A. W. Cox School	Public	K-4	143 Three Mile Course	Guilford	06437	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	Guilford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 453-5291	255	25	10.2	14.9%	191 (74.9%)	3 (1.2%)	33 (12.9%)	13 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.9%)	77	132^nd of 493 public elementary schools	73.2%		78.1	125^th of 497 public elementary schools	74.8%	7	77.4	66.7		77.4	55.6					$22,757
Dominick H. Ferrara School	Public	3-5	22 Maynard Rd.	East Haven	06512	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	East Haven School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 468-3318	153	14	11.2	63.4%	64 (41.8%)	9 (5.9%)	66 (43.1%)	8 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.9%)	35.6	298^th of 493 public elementary schools	39.6%		37.4	296^th of 497 public elementary schools	40.4%	2	46.5	42.6	34.0	62.8	36.1	42.0				$20,641
Momauguin School	Public	K-5	99 Cosey Beach Rd.	East Haven	06512	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	East Haven School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 468-3321	302	25	12.0	71.9%	116 (38.4%)	8 (2.6%)	156 (51.7%)	6 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.3%)	22.2	360^th of 493 public elementary schools	27.0%		27.1	341^st of 497 public elementary schools	31.4%	19	26.8		42.2	33.9	46.5	20.0				$17,122

Frequently Asked Questions about Mary R. Tisko School

What schools do graduates of Mary R. Tisko School attend?

Students who attend Mary R. Tisko School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Francis Walsh Intermediate School
High : Branford High School

What is the racial makeup of Mary R. Tisko School?

Students at Mary R. Tisko School are 82% White, 12% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Mary R. Tisko School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 365 students attended Mary R. Tisko School.

What district is Mary R. Tisko School in?

Branford School District

Is Mary R. Tisko School a good school?

Mary R. Tisko School ranks 135^th of 493 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Mary R. Tisko School!

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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.