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McKinley School

Public Grades K-5
216th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 493 Connecticut Elementary Schools
Better than 56% of Connecticut elementary schools
Summary

McKinley School is an elementary school in Fairfield, Connecticut, serving 470 students in grades K-5. It is part of the Fairfield School District, which is ranked 21 out of 156 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, McKinley School's performance on SBAC tests is generally lower than the Fairfield School District and the state average across most grade levels and subjects. However, the school excels in serving its Hispanic, special education, and low-income student populations, ranking among the top schools in the state for these subgroups. In contrast, the school's performance for its white student population is relatively lower. McKinley School also experiences fluctuating chronic absenteeism rates, which are higher than the nearby Holland Hill and Jennings schools in the Fairfield district.

Despite these challenges, McKinley School's per-student spending and student-teacher ratio are comparable to the nearby Fairfield schools. This suggests that resource allocation may not be a significant factor in the school's performance. The school's ability to effectively serve its Hispanic, special education, and low-income students is a notable strength, and further investigation into the school's practices and strategies may provide insights into how to address the areas of concern and improve overall student outcomes.

470
Students ?
11.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$22,156
Per pupil spending ?
52.6%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 60 Thompson St.
       Fairfield, CT  06825

(203) 255-8318

District: Fairfield School District


Students who attend McKinley School usually attend:

Middle:    Tomlinson Middle School
High:    Fairfield Warde High School
Racial breakdown:

White:
43.6%
Hispanic:
33.0%
Asian:
10.4%
more
 See top rated Connecticut elementary schools

 Compare McKinley School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 48th percentile in 2015 → 56th in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the Connecticut average (58% vs 50% meeting standards)
Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2015
Above the Connecticut median (56th percentile)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Near the bottom of Fairfield School District's ranking
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school58%
District avg73%
Connecticut avg50%
216th of 493
Connecticut public elementary schools ?
Top 44%▲ up 9 pts since 2015
From bottom 48% (2015) to top 44% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
11th of 11Elementary Schools in the Fairfield School District
21st of 156Fairfield 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202559.7216 of 49356.2%★★★☆☆
202455.0226 of 49754.5%★★★☆☆
202356.2224 of 49154.4%★★★☆☆
202246.0264 of 49046.1%★★☆☆☆
202161.4222 of 53858.7%★★★☆☆
201965.9204 of 52260.9%★★★☆☆
201863.7215 of 53259.6%★★★☆☆
201759.7223 of 51957.0%★★★☆☆
201647.1278 of 51846.3%★★☆☆☆
201552.1289 of 55147.5%★★☆☆☆
201363.0280 of 55749.7%★★★☆☆
201245.9391 of 56430.7%★★☆☆☆
201161.6285 of 56549.6%★★★☆☆
201043.8410 of 57929.2%★☆☆☆☆
200956.8331 of 56641.5%★★☆☆☆
200861.7294 of 56548.0%★★☆☆☆
200759.3305 of 56846.3%★★☆☆☆
200647.7372 of 57034.7%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202548.4139 of 23240.1%★★☆☆☆
202442.3145 of 23738.8%★★☆☆☆
202343.6143 of 23037.8%★★☆☆☆
202157.9199 of 45556.3%★★★☆☆
201961.2110 of 24254.5%★★★☆☆
201846.7156 of 25939.8%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202185.112 of 17393.1%★★★★★
201994.43 of 11297.3%★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202569.322 of 7771.4%★★★★☆
202456.523 of 7067.1%★★★☆☆
202184.826 of 30291.4%★★★★★
201974.812 of 6080.0%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202545.7149 of 23937.7%★★☆☆☆
202440.0154 of 23333.9%★★☆☆☆
202352.7135 of 23141.6%★★☆☆☆
202234.8159 of 23231.5%★★☆☆☆
202156.0192 of 44556.9%★★★☆☆
201958.8130 of 24747.4%★★☆☆☆
201863.8124 of 26252.7%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202179.854 of 37185.4%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202563.0100 of 24859.7%★★★☆☆
202335.6194 of 26226.0%★☆☆☆☆
202137.6220 of 32732.7%★★☆☆☆
201950.1176 of 29540.3%★★☆☆☆
201832.4224 of 29624.3%★☆☆☆☆
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 (2021)93rd percentile+34 vs school
Special Education (2021)85th percentile+27 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)71st percentile+15 vs school
White (2025)60th percentile+3 vs school
Female (2025)40th percentile-16 vs school
Male (2025)38th percentile-19 vs school
By subject vs Connecticut (2024-2025) ?
Mathematics61%+12 vs state
English Language Arts54%+4 vs state

5.0
2 ratings · 2 written reviews
52
40
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10
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What people are saying
by a parent
Friday, February 19, 2016

Open Quote This goes to show you that numbers and rankings are a flawed measure of a school's quality. The reason it lags behind others in the district and statewide is that it's a very multicultural school with kids growing up in households where English is a second language. It's the only school in Fairfield with a non-white majority. So naturally those students are going to lag behind in their reading/writing skills. But the reality is, it's a great school. There is constant communications between the teachers and parents, there is tons of support for students' needs and I am constantly surprised by how much my child is learning and how advanced her reading and writing have become. So the bottom line is, the numbers reflect the students' level of achievement and not the quality of the teachers or education. Close Quote


by a parent
Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Open Quote I am so surprise to see the ratings for this school. My son has been attending this school since he was in 1st grade and this year will be his last year since McKinley only goes up until 5th grade. Prior to that he attended Saint Teresa in Trumbull. There’s so many great things about this school! Great principal, teachers, and staff. My son and I have built great relationships with students and their parents. I absolutely love how all the parents are so involve with day to day activities within the school. My son has built relationships with tons of children from different cultures and ethnicity. I absolutely love how McKinley embraces and celebrates all cultures with their wonderful “World Fair”. Unfortunately this will be his last year but it was an awesome and productive (Band, choir, fairs, etc) 4 years at McKinley. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about McKinley School

McKinley School ranks 216th of 493 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 470 students attended McKinley School.

Students at McKinley School are 44% White, 33% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 9% African American, 4% Two or more races.

Students who attend McKinley School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Tomlinson Middle School
High : Fairfield Warde High 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.





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