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Derby Middle School

Q: Is Derby Middle School a good school?

Derby Middle School ranks 193 rd of 258 Connecticut middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

193^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 258 Connecticut Middle Schools

Better than 25% of Connecticut middle schools

Summary

Derby Middle School is a small grades 6–8 school in Derby, CT, enrolling about 300 students, and serves as the only middle school in the Derby School District. The school ranks in the bottom quarter of Connecticut middle schools — 193rd out of 258 — with a 1-star rating, placing it below most nearby schools. Only Ansonia Middle School, less than a mile away, ranks lower among its immediate neighbors.

One of the most striking issues is chronic absenteeism: 25.0% of Derby students missed significant instructional time in 2025-26, the highest rate among all nearby schools and well above the state average of 16.4%. Test scores are also far below state averages, especially in math, where 8th grade proficiency was just 14.0% compared to roughly 42% statewide. The school serves a high-poverty population, with 62.3% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch — a rate second only to Ansonia (64.1%) among nearby schools. However, poverty doesn't tell the whole story: Seymour Middle School, only about 3 miles away, has a similar low-income population (51.6%) but dramatically higher proficiency rates — 47.8% in math versus Derby's 17.1%, and 69.3% in science versus Derby's 26.0%.

On a positive note, Derby outperforms Ansonia Middle School in every subject despite nearly identical poverty rates, showing somewhat stronger outcomes than its closest neighbor. The school also had a promising spike in 8th grade ELA in 2024-25, reaching 49.5% proficiency, nearly matching the state average. Attendance appears to be the highest-leverage target for improvement, and math is the academic area needing the most urgent attention. Notably, the school's student-teacher ratio of 12.5 and per-student spending of $16,138 are comparable to higher-performing neighbors, suggesting the challenges lie more in instructional continuity and intervention than in resources.

300

Students ?

12.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,071

Per pupil spending ?

62.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

73 Chatfield Street
Derby, CT 06418

(203) 736-1426

District: Derby School District

Students who attend Derby Middle School usually attend:

High:

Derby High School

Feeder schools for Derby Middle School:

Elementary:	Bradley School
	Irving School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.7%

White:

25.7%

African American:

21.3%

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Compare Derby Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 36th percentile in 2021 → 25th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Connecticut average (26% vs 48% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (25% vs 16% Connecticut)

!Ranking has slipped from its 36th-percentile peak (2021) to 25th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school26%

District avg26%

Connecticut avg48%

193^rd of 258

Connecticut public middle schools ?

Bottom 25%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 16% (2016) to bottom 25% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

140^th of 153Derby 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
2026	18.2	193 of 258	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.6	184 of 252	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.8	181 of 250	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.8	172 of 249	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.6	175 of 250	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.1	177 of 275	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	12.2	217 of 259	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.9	197 of 249	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	15.2	198 of 250	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	11.7	206 of 246	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	30.5	196 of 280	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	38.4	200 of 278	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	10.8	77 of 80	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	11.7	143 of 164	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	7.3	152 of 164	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	151 of 161	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.2	138 of 160	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.5	139 of 166	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.3	153 of 235	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	10.2	149 of 169	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.8	142 of 160	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	31.0	77 of 115	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.9	72 of 105	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.8	62 of 104	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.3	57 of 99	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.8	46 of 97	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.0	88 of 146	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	15.4	91 of 97	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	20.7	89 of 112	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.2	101 of 117	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	101 of 114	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.3	77 of 109	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.1	85 of 106	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.7	126 of 218	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	10.4	101 of 104	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	9.5	151 of 164	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.4	142 of 162	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.0	142 of 157	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.3	127 of 158	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.0	132 of 169	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.4	167 of 224	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.1	161 of 167	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	144 of 164	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	37.9	147 of 244	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	3.6	147 of 153	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	35.0	114 of 175	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	5.9	157 of 166	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.0	158 of 168	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2021)40th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)33rd percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)21st percentile-5 vs school

Female (2026)13th percentile-12 vs school

Male (2026)8th percentile-17 vs school

White (2025)4th percentile-23 vs school

African American (2021)4th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts35%-16 vs state

Science26%-25 vs state

Mathematics17%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Derby Middle School

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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 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 8th Grade	Total
Derby Middle School	Public	6-8	73 Chatfield Street	Derby	06418	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Derby School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 736-1426	300	24	12.5	62.3%	77 (25.7%)	64 (21.3%)	143 (47.7%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.3%)	18.2	193^rd of 258 public middle schools	25.2%		20.6	184^th of 252 public middle schools	27.0%	9		26.0		37.2	38.5	30.0		21.8	15.4	14.0	$27,071
Ansonia Middle School	Public	6-8	115 Howard Ave.	Ansonia	06401	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Ansonia School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 736-5070	560	40	14.0	64.1%	118 (21.1%)	121 (21.6%)	290 (51.8%)	7 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.9%)	11.1	224^th of 258 public middle schools	13.2%		10.9	220^th of 252 public middle schools	12.7%	4		18.4		22.1	27.3	25.9		18.1	14.0	12.4	$19,284
Perry Hill Elementary School	Public	5-6	60 Perry Hill Road	Shelton	06484	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Shelton School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 924-4002	711	50	14.1	34.2%	409 (57.5%)	60 (8.4%)	180 (25.3%)	31 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	29 (4.1%)								(n/a)	52.9		53.8	60.4			52.6	63.1			$20,605
Intermediate School	Public	7-9	675 Constitution Blvd.	Shelton	06484	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Shelton School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 926-2000	714	57	12.6	38.2%	426 (59.7%)	84 (11.8%)	145 (20.3%)	35 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.4%)	55.8	114^th of 258 public middle schools	55.8%		45.1	130^th of 252 public middle schools	48.4%	16		797.0			50.5	47.5			54.3	44.9	$20,256
Seymour Middle School	Public	6-8	211 Mountain Rd.	Seymour	06483	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Seymour School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 888-4513	494	38	13.1	51.6%	310 (62.8%)	43 (8.7%)	109 (22.1%)	23 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.8%)	57.4	111^th of 258 public middle schools	57.0%		54.9	110^th of 252 public middle schools	56.3%	1		69.3		43.8	52.7	49.1		41.3	48.5	53.7	$19,681
Amity Middle School: Orange	Public	7-8	100 Ohman Ave.	Orange	06477	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Regional School District 05	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 392-3200	380	34	11.3	16.3%	244 (64.2%)	10 (2.6%)	45 (11.8%)	55 (14.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.3%)	88.7	23^rd of 258 public middle schools	91.1%		83	38^th of 252 public middle schools	84.9%	15		814.0			79.7	70.7			73.5	67.4	$22,121
Oxford Middle School	Public	6-8	40 Great Oak Rd.	Oxford	06478	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Oxford School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 888-5418	371	41	9.0	18.3%	292 (78.7%)	14 (3.8%)	46 (12.4%)	12 (3.2%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	76.6	60^th of 258 public middle schools	76.7%		72.6	76^th of 252 public middle schools	69.8%	16		69.4		67.2	71.9	64.2		61.3	53.3	50.8	$23,583
Harry B. Flood Middle School	Public	7-8	490 Chapel Street	Stratford	06614	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Stratford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 385-4280	466	45	10.4	47.6%	105 (22.5%)	121 (26.0%)	215 (46.1%)	9 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.4%)	31.2	162^nd of 258 public middle schools	37.2%		27.5	162^nd of 252 public middle schools	35.7%			35.4			44.0	46.5			26.2	23.6	$25,168
Jockey Hollow School	Public	6-8	365 Fan Hill Rd.	Monroe	06468	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Monroe School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 452-2905	765	56	13.7	18.4%	529 (69.2%)	23 (3.0%)	131 (17.1%)	47 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (4.6%)	84	40^th of 258 public middle schools	84.5%		84.8	31^st of 252 public middle schools	87.7%	9		72.8		72.1	76.4	71.1		56.6	68.4	62.5	$20,803
Hillcrest Middle School	Public	6-8	530 Daniels Farm Rd.	Trumbull	06611	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Trumbull School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 452-4466	792	58	13.7	22.1%	451 (56.9%)	64 (8.1%)	147 (18.6%)	105 (13.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.2%)	91.1	15^th of 258 public middle schools	94.2%		92.5	11^th of 252 public middle schools	95.6%	4		72.1		75.0	80.5	78.5		71.5	81.2	76.8	$18,807

Frequently Asked Questions about Derby Middle School

Is Derby Middle School a good school?

Derby Middle School ranks 193^rd of 258 Connecticut middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Derby Middle School in?

Derby School District

What high school do graduates of Derby Middle School attend?

Students who attend Derby Middle School usually go on to attend Derby High School

What is the racial makeup of Derby Middle School?

Students at Derby Middle School are 48% Hispanic, 26% White, 21% African American, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend Derby Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 300 students attended Derby Middle School.

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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.