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Essex Elementary School

Q: Is Essex Elementary School a good school?

Essex Elementary School ranks 121 st of 493 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

121^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 493 Connecticut Elementary Schools

Better than 75% of Connecticut elementary schools

Summary

Essex Elementary School is a high-performing public elementary school in Centerbrook, CT, serving 299 students in grades PK-6. The school is part of the Essex School District, which is ranked 50 out of 156 districts in Connecticut and has a 3-star rating. Essex Elementary School has consistently been ranked in the top 25% of Connecticut elementary schools over the past decade, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Essex Elementary School excels academically, consistently outperforming the state average in SBAC/ELA and SBAC/Math assessments across all grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, 70.6% of 3rd graders, 65.6% of 4th graders, 70.7% of 5th graders, and 61% of 6th graders scored proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state averages of 46.9%, 51.4%, 52.5%, and 50% respectively. The school also performs exceptionally well in science, with 73.2% of 5th graders scoring proficient or better on the NGSS assessment in 2024-2025, compared to the state average of 52.2%. When compared to nearby schools, such as Lewin G. Joel Junior School and Daisy Ingraham School, Essex Elementary School's academic performance is significantly higher.

Essex Elementary School also stands out for its low chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 5.2% to 23.7% over the past few years, compared to the state average of around 10-15%. Additionally, the school has a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 21.4% to 23% over the past few years, suggesting it serves a more affluent community. Overall, Essex Elementary School's consistent high performance, low chronic absenteeism, and socioeconomic factors contribute to its reputation as a quality educational institution in the region.

307

Students ?

10.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,228

Per pupil spending ?

21.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

108 Main St.
Centerbrook, CT 06409

(860) 767-8215

District: Essex School District

Students who attend Essex Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	John Winthrop Middle School
High:	Valley Regional High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.7%

Hispanic:

12.1%

Two or more races:

3.6%

See top rated Connecticut elementary schools

Compare Essex Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 81st percentile in 2015 → 75th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Connecticut average (68% vs 49% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 25% of Connecticut elementary schools

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school68%

District avg67%

Connecticut avg49%

121^st of 493

Connecticut public elementary schools ?

Top 25%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From top 19% (2015) to top 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

50^th of 156Essex 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	78.4	121 of 493	75.5%	★★★★☆
2024	79.5	115 of 497	76.9%	★★★★☆
2023	82.1	101 of 491	79.4%	★★★★☆
2022	85.1	72 of 490	85.3%	★★★★☆
2021	84.0	94 of 538	82.5%	★★★★☆
2019	87.0	59 of 522	88.7%	★★★★☆
2018	73.7	160 of 532	69.9%	★★★★☆
2017	81.0	116 of 519	77.6%	★★★★☆
2016	85.1	80 of 518	84.6%	★★★★☆
2015	82.6	103 of 551	81.3%	★★★★☆
2013	76.7	142 of 557	74.5%	★★★★☆
2012	75.0	156 of 564	72.3%	★★★★☆
2011	76.5	141 of 565	75.0%	★★★★☆
2010	79.7	96 of 579	83.4%	★★★★☆
2009	78.4	110 of 566	80.6%	★★★★☆
2008	79.9	88 of 565	84.4%	★★★★☆
2007	78.5	111 of 568	80.5%	★★★★☆
2006	74.2	174 of 570	69.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	85.7	60 of 455	86.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	89.3	44 of 445	90.1%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	57.6	117 of 248	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.0	106 of 250	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.6	86 of 262	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.6	46 of 252	81.7%	★★★★☆
2021	72.6	85 of 327	74.0%	★★★★☆
2019	81.6	34 of 295	88.5%	★★★★☆
2018	61.0	127 of 296	57.1%	★★★☆☆

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)90th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2021)87th percentile+4 vs school

White (2025)53rd percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2024-2025) ?

Science73%+21 vs state

English Language Arts67%+17 vs state

Mathematics66%+20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Essex Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NGSS Science (2025)	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	NGSS Science 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	Total
Essex Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	108 Main St.	Centerbrook	06409	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Essex School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 767-8215	307	0	10.3	21.2%	254 (82.7%)	3 (1.0%)	37 (12.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.6%)	78.4	121^st of 493 public elementary schools	75.5%		79.5	115^th of 497 public elementary schools	76.9%	6	73.2	70.6	65.6	70.7	61.0	73.5		65.9	61.0	$27,228
Deep River Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	12 River St.	Deep River	06417	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Deep River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 526-5319	189	0	9.8	32.3%	165 (87.3%)	1 (0.5%)	19 (10.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	2 (1.1%)	77.2	129^th of 493 public elementary schools	73.8%		82.8	92^nd of 497 public elementary schools	81.5%	37	78.6	56.3				65.6		75.0		$32,856
Chester Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	23 Ridge Rd.	Chester	06412	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Chester School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 526-5797	198	0	9.6	28.3%	173 (87.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (8.6%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	81.7	91^st of 493 public elementary schools	81.5%		90.2	34^th of 497 public elementary schools	93.2%	57	73.5			70.6		77.1				$30,591
Daisy Ingraham School	Public	PK, KG-5	105 Goodspeed Dr.	Westbrook	06498	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Westbrook School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 399-7925	292	33	8.7	37.3%	204 (69.9%)	2 (0.7%)	73 (25.0%)	6 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	66.3	194^th of 493 public elementary schools	60.6%		62.7	200^th of 497 public elementary schools	59.8%	6	61.5	47.5	62.5			65.0	66.7	61.5		$28,991
Kathleen E. Goodwin School	Public	PK, KG-4	80 Old Boston Post Rd.	Old Saybrook	06475	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Old Saybrook School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 395-3165	383	40	9.6	22.5%	291 (76.0%)	4 (1.0%)	59 (15.4%)	15 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.7%)	51.5	246^th of 493 public elementary schools	50.1%		54.1	233^rd of 497 public elementary schools	53.1%	13		55.4	58.0			46.4	52.0			$24,723
Lyme Consolidated School	Public	K-5	478 Hamburg Road	Lyme	06371	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Regional School District 18	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 434-1233	226	18	12.6	23.0%	196 (86.7%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (8.8%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.1%)	86.4	56^th of 493 public elementary schools	88.6%		81.8	98^th of 497 public elementary schools	80.3%	42		79.5		73.2		82.1	75.0			$24,089
Lewin G. Joel Junior School	Public	PK, KG-4	137A Glenwood Rd.	Clinton	06413	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Clinton School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 664-6501	532	53	10.0	38.5%	364 (68.4%)	4 (0.8%)	133 (25.0%)	13 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.4%)	59.4	217^th of 493 public elementary schools	56.0%		59.2	213^th of 497 public elementary schools	57.1%	4		58.3	49.5			68.0	56.2			$21,758
Killingworth Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	340 Route 81	Higganum	06419	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Regional School District 17	No	No	No	No	(860) 663-1121	257	23	11.1	15.6%	226 (87.9%)	1 (0.4%)	15 (5.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.1%)								(n/a)		77.4				79.0				$27,528
Haddam-Killingworth Intermediate School	Public	4-5	451 Route 81	Killingworth	06419	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Regional School District 17	No	No	No	No	(860) 663-1241	280	22	12.7	18.6%	250 (89.3%)	4 (1.4%)	13 (4.6%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.6%)	73.4	154^th of 493 public elementary schools	68.8%		76.5	135^th of 497 public elementary schools	72.8%	19	70.3		68.9	67.6			60.6	61.0		$20,736
Mile Creek School	Public	K-5	205 Mile Creek Rd.	Old Lyme	06371	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Regional School District 18	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 434-2209	334	26	12.9	9.6%	291 (87.1%)	3 (0.9%)	15 (4.5%)	7 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.4%)	87.4	50^th of 493 public elementary schools	89.9%		84.5	79^th of 497 public elementary schools	84.1%	29		81.0	76.1	79.3		84.1	67.4	74.1		$21,539

Frequently Asked Questions about Essex Elementary School

Is Essex Elementary School a good school?

Essex Elementary School ranks 121^st of 493 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Essex Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 307 students attended Essex Elementary School.

What district is Essex Elementary School in?

Essex School District

What schools do graduates of Essex Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Essex Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : John Winthrop Middle School
High : Valley Regional High School

What is the racial makeup of Essex Elementary School?

Students at Essex Elementary School are 83% White, 12% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

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Schools in Centerbrook, CT

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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.