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Sunset Ridge Middle School

Q: Is Sunset Ridge Middle School a good school?

Sunset Ridge Middle School ranks 58 th of 258 Connecticut middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

58^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 258 Connecticut Middle Schools

Better than 78% of Connecticut middle schools

Summary

Sunset Ridge Middle School is a grade 6–8 school in East Hartford, CT, serving 334 students, and over the past decade it has transformed from a 1-star school to one of the top-performing middle schools in Connecticut. Although it sits within the East Hartford School District — which ranks in the bottom fifth of Connecticut districts — Sunset Ridge itself has earned a 4-star rating and ranks 58th out of 258 middle schools statewide (78th percentile) for 2025–2026. Its rise has been steady: from the 20th percentile in 2015–2016 to the 55th percentile in 2020–2021, and now to the 78th.

On state tests, Sunset Ridge beats both its district and the state in every subject and grade level. For example, 6th-grade reading proficiency is 66.1%, compared to 41.3% for the district and 51.2% for the state, and 8th-grade science proficiency is 67.0% versus 36.3% for the district and 50.9% for the state. Math scores, which hovered near the state average a few years ago, have jumped to 56–59% proficiency — roughly 15 points above the statewide average. The gap with the district's other middle school, East Hartford Middle School, is dramatic: Sunset Ridge posts double or triple the proficiency rates and has a chronic absenteeism rate of 6.7% versus 34.1%. Sunset Ridge also produces state-leading results for students from low-income families and for Hispanic and African American students, ranking in the top five in Connecticut for these groups.

Attendance is a major strength. Just 6.7% of students were chronically absent in 2025–2026, far below the district's 21.0% and the state's 16.4%; in 2023–2024 that rate was just 3.8%, on par with Smith Middle School in Glastonbury, which serves a far more affluent community. Sunset Ridge achieves these outcomes even though it spends less per student than many nearby middle schools. For parents exploring middle school options in the Hartford area, Sunset Ridge stands out as a school that has improved steadily for a decade, keeps students in class, and delivers results that rival schools in Connecticut's wealthiest districts.

334

Students ?

11.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,453

Per pupil spending ?

43.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

450 Forbes St.
East Hartford, CT 06118

(860) 622-5800

District: East Hartford School District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.9%

African American:

24.3%

White:

18.3%

See top rated Connecticut middle schools

Compare Sunset Ridge Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 20th percentile in 2016 → 78th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Connecticut average (63% vs 48% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 22% of Connecticut middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 58 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school63%

District avg36%

Connecticut avg48%

58^th of 258

Connecticut public middle schools ?

Top 22%▲ up 58 pts since 2016

From bottom 20% (2016) to top 22% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the East Hartford School District

122^nd of 153East Hartford 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	77.5	58 of 258	77.5%	★★★★☆
2025	74.6	64 of 252	74.6%	★★★★☆
2024	70.5	76 of 250	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.8	89 of 249	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.0	102 of 250	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.5	123 of 275	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.1	161 of 259	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.6	163 of 249	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	17.1	193 of 250	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	14.2	198 of 246	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	39.9	196 of 278	29.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	36.2	199 of 272	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	38.7	193 of 269	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	26.0	208 of 268	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	11.1	216 of 255	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	14.6	207 of 252	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	12.0	208 of 250	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	27.0	192 of 248	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	90.8	2 of 32	93.8%	★★★★★
2024	99.1	2 of 33	93.9%	★★★★★
2023	98.0	1 of 32	96.9%	★★★★★
2021	88.8	3 of 80	96.3%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	29.9	63 of 104	39.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	65.1	61 of 163	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.2	61 of 164	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.7	56 of 161	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.9	70 of 160	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.9	89 of 166	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.2	111 of 235	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	22.3	129 of 160	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	96.1	3 of 112	97.3%	★★★★★
2025	93.4	7 of 105	93.3%	★★★★★
2024	90.5	11 of 104	89.4%	★★★★★
2023	73.4	15 of 99	84.8%	★★★★☆
2022	76.3	12 of 97	87.6%	★★★★☆
2021	70.1	36 of 146	75.3%	★★★★☆
2019	36.8	54 of 97	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.6	27 of 75	64.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	90.8	4 of 111	96.4%	★★★★★
2025	88.0	7 of 117	94.0%	★★★★★
2024	90.9	6 of 114	94.7%	★★★★★
2023	80.5	12 of 109	89.0%	★★★★☆
2022	66.3	32 of 106	69.8%	★★★★☆
2021	60.4	81 of 218	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	18.1	88 of 104	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	71.9	49 of 163	69.9%	★★★★☆
2025	64.2	64 of 162	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.8	77 of 157	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.0	84 of 158	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.4	88 of 169	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.9	116 of 224	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	13.7	145 of 167	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.1	115 of 164	29.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	57.9	102 of 244	58.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	71.9	39 of 150	74.0%	★★★★☆
2024	61.2	60 of 154	61.0%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)97th percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)96th percentile+19 vs school

African American (2025)94th percentile+19 vs school

White (2026)74th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)70th percentile-8 vs school

Female (2026)63rd percentile-15 vs school

Special Education (2021)58th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2021)39th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts68%+16 vs state

Science67%+16 vs state

Mathematics57%+14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sunset Ridge 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
Sunset Ridge Middle School	Public	6-8	450 Forbes St.	East Hartford	06118	Capitol Planning Region	East Hartford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 622-5800	334	29	11.6	43.7%	61 (18.3%)	81 (24.3%)	160 (47.9%)	13 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.7%)	77.5	58^th of 258 public middle schools	77.5%		74.6	64^th of 252 public middle schools	74.6%	6		67.0		66.1	71.7	65.0		55.9	59.4	57.3	$19,453
East Hartford Middle School	Public	6-8	777 Burnside Ave.	East Hartford	06108	Capitol Planning Region	East Hartford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 622-5600	971	84	11.5	65.6%	58 (6.0%)	301 (31.0%)	531 (54.7%)	31 (3.2%)	4 (0.4%)	3 (0.3%)	43 (4.4%)	19.4	189^th of 258 public middle schools	26.7%		18.8	192^nd of 252 public middle schools	23.8%	3		27.8		31.7	39.2	28.8		24.8	21.2	20.0	$21,496
Academy of Computer Science and Engineering Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	337 East River Dr.	East Hartford	06108	Capitol Planning Region	Capitol Region Education Council	No	Yes	No	Yes	(860) 290-5320	669	57	11.7	71.9%	64 (9.6%)	209 (31.2%)	328 (49.0%)	26 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	41 (6.1%)	16	202^nd of 258 public middle schools	21.7%		17.1	197^th of 252 public middle schools	21.8%	5		25.3		32.5	29.7	31.9		23.1	18.3	11.8	$27,362
Smith Middle School	Public	6-8	216 Addison Rd.	Glastonbury	06033	Capitol Planning Region	Glastonbury School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 652-7040	875	67	13.1	13.8%	532 (60.8%)	30 (3.4%)	116 (13.3%)	139 (15.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (6.3%)	88.6	24^th of 258 public middle schools	90.7%		89.2	19^th of 252 public middle schools	92.5%	5		73.9			73.0	72.4			72.7	72.5	$21,729
Betances STEM Magnet School	Public, Magnet	5-8	400 Wethersfield Avenue	Hartford	06114	Capitol Planning Region	Hartford School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(860) 695-2970	206	16	12.8	73.3%	16 (7.8%)	38 (18.4%)	123 (59.7%)	17 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.8%)	27.8	168^th of 258 public middle schools	34.9%		27	163^rd of 252 public middle schools	35.3%	5	23.4		21.7	32.0				36.0		28.8	$20,059
Burr Middle School	Public	6-8	400 Wethersfield Avenue	Hartford	06114	Capitol Planning Region	Hartford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 695-3080	259	18	14.3	81.9%	6 (2.3%)	33 (12.7%)	207 (79.9%)	9 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	4.1	258^th of 258 public middle schools	0.0%		3.5	251^st of 252 public middle schools	0.4%	7		11.0		12.2		11.0					$22,614
Elisabeth M. Bennet Academy	Public	5-8	1151 Main St.	Manchester	06040	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 647-3571	864	78	11.0	64.5%	242 (28.0%)	208 (24.1%)	314 (36.3%)	64 (7.4%)	6 (0.7%)	4 (0.5%)	26 (3.0%)								(n/a)	40.4		34.1	38.0			26.4	37.3			$24,235
Milner Middle School	Public	6-8	150 Tower Avenue	Hartford	06112	Capitol Planning Region	Hartford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 695-4380	261	24	10.8	93.5%	4 (1.5%)	71 (27.2%)	178 (68.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.3%)	4.5	257^th of 258 public middle schools	0.4%		5.4	245^th of 252 public middle schools	2.8%	12				12.3	10.8	6.7		10.8	12.7		$27,922
Illing Middle School	Public	7-8	227 Middle Tpke E	Manchester	06040	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 647-3400	763	78	9.7	58.5%	219 (28.7%)	207 (27.1%)	256 (33.6%)	58 (7.6%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.5%)	17 (2.2%)	24.8	179^th of 258 public middle schools	30.6%		21.2	180^th of 252 public middle schools	28.6%	1		39.9			36.5	32.7			26.7	21.6	$24,481
Silas Deane Middle School	Public	7-8	551 Silas Deane Hwy.	Wethersfield	06109	Capitol Planning Region	Wethersfield School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 571-8300	546	45	12.1	28.4%	332 (60.8%)	21 (3.8%)	134 (24.5%)	33 (6.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.4%)	61.6	97^th of 258 public middle schools	62.4%		62.8	94^th of 252 public middle schools	62.7%	3		56.9			61.0	56.5			50.6	39.9	$20,963

Frequently Asked Questions about Sunset Ridge Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Sunset Ridge Middle School?

Students at Sunset Ridge Middle School are 48% Hispanic, 24% African American, 18% White, 6% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What district is Sunset Ridge Middle School in?

East Hartford School District

How many students attend Sunset Ridge Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 334 students attended Sunset Ridge Middle School.

Is Sunset Ridge Middle School a good school?

Sunset Ridge Middle School ranks 58^th of 258 Connecticut middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Sunset Ridge Middle School!

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Latest Connecticut data All new data »

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

2025–26 NGSS, SAT & SBAC test scoresNewAug 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.