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Charles Barnum Magnet School

Q: Is Charles Barnum Magnet School a good school?

Charles Barnum Magnet School ranks 295 th of 493 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

295^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 493 Connecticut Elementary Schools

Better than 40% of Connecticut elementary schools

Summary

Charles Barnum Magnet School is an elementary school located in Groton, Connecticut, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 332 students. The school is part of the Groton School District, which is ranked 104 out of 156 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Overall, Charles Barnum Magnet School faces challenges in student performance, with lower proficiency rates on standardized tests compared to the district and state averages. The school has relatively high chronic absenteeism rates and serves a higher proportion of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds compared to the state. When compared to nearby magnet schools, such as Northeast Academy Magnet School, Mystic River Magnet School, Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School, and Thames River Magnet School, Charles Barnum Magnet School generally performs worse on standardized tests and has higher chronic absenteeism rates.

However, the school's performance varies significantly among different student subgroups, with special education and low-socioeconomic status students performing relatively well, but male and white students struggling. The school's relatively low student-teacher ratio and higher spending per student indicate that resources may not be the primary factor driving the school's performance, and other factors, such as curriculum, instruction, and school climate, may need to be examined to address the school's challenges and improve overall student achievement.

339

Students ?

11.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,716

Per pupil spending ?

51.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

68 Briar Hill Rd.
Groton, CT 06340

(860) 449-5640

District: Groton School District

Students who attend Charles Barnum Magnet School usually attend:

Middle:	Groton Middle School
High:	Robert E. Fitch High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.3%

Hispanic:

27.4%

Two or more races:

11.5%

See top rated Connecticut elementary schools

Compare Charles Barnum Magnet School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 70th percentile in 2015 → 40th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Connecticut average (45% vs 51% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 30 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg52%

Connecticut avg51%

295^th of 493

Connecticut public elementary schools ?

Bottom 40%▼ down 30 pts since 2015

From top 30% (2015) to bottom 40% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Groton School District

104^th of 156Groton 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	37.5	295 of 493	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.9	255 of 497	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.6	263 of 491	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.8	213 of 490	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.8	232 of 538	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.0	253 of 522	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.0	275 of 532	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	46.7	280 of 519	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	78.1	126 of 518	75.7%	★★★★☆
2015	75.2	165 of 551	70.1%	★★★★☆
2013	70.9	201 of 557	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	69.0	232 of 564	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	71.9	198 of 565	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	72.5	192 of 579	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	65.9	266 of 566	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	64.2	270 of 565	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	57.6	322 of 568	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	51.6	355 of 570	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	69.0	153 of 455	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.0	144 of 242	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.6	151 of 259	41.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	54.8	32 of 77	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	83.9	28 of 302	90.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	19.6	191 of 239	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	42.0	249 of 445	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.8	138 of 262	47.3%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	63.4	2 of 3	33.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	73.5	69 of 371	81.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2024	44.3	172 of 250	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.9	201 of 252	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.1	233 of 327	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.5	229 of 295	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.9	248 of 296	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)81st percentile+25 vs school

Female (2021)66th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)58th percentile+18 vs school

Military Connected (2021)33rd percentile-24 vs school

White (2024)31st percentile-17 vs school

Male (2025)20th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2024-2025) ?

Science59%+7 vs state

English Language Arts42%-8 vs state

Mathematics40%-11 vs state

1.0

4 ratings · 2 written reviews

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2★0

1★4

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, May 12, 2017

BEWARE!!! The Principal lies and tries to ignore any parent complaints. He is beyond ignorant in the area of Special Needs Children, and enables a climate of bullying. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, May 11, 2016

The front office staff are extremely unprofessional! I was absolutely appalled at the way they treated a kind young black mother in the office today. The principal should to teach them the value of compassion, respect and empathy. It should not matter the color of a persons skin, we are all human beings and should be treated as such. Close Quote

Schools Near Charles Barnum Magnet 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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	Total
Charles Barnum Magnet School	Public	PK, KG-5	68 Briar Hill Rd.	Groton	06340	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	Groton School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 449-5640	339	29	11.7	51.3%	174 (51.3%)	24 (7.1%)	93 (27.4%)	8 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	39 (11.5%)	37.5	295^th of 493 public elementary schools	40.2%		48.9	255^th of 497 public elementary schools	48.7%	40	59.4	29.3	45.7	51.6	37.9	43.5		$22,716
Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	74 Grove Street	New London	06320	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	New London School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(860) 447-6070	449	42	10.8	73.9%	74 (16.5%)	75 (16.7%)	243 (54.1%)	5 (1.1%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	47 (10.5%)	22.8	355^th of 493 public elementary schools	28.0%		22.5	358^th of 497 public elementary schools	28.0%	3	48.8	21.3	35.2	45.2	22.7	38.0	22.6	$23,813
Regional Multicultural Magnet School	Public, Magnet	K-5	1 Bulkeley Place	New London	06320	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	Learn	No	Yes	No	Yes	(860) 437-7775	469	35	13.5	70.6%	88 (18.8%)	43 (9.2%)	264 (56.3%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (14.5%)	21.8	363^rd of 493 public elementary schools	26.4%		19.4	367^th of 497 public elementary schools	26.2%	4		30.6	36.5	52.7	23.6	25.4	28.4	$19,820
Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	500 Poquonnock Rd.	Groton	06340	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	Groton School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(860) 449-5608	375	31	11.9	80.3%	144 (38.4%)	18 (4.8%)	114 (30.4%)	30 (8.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (17.9%)	53.5	242^nd of 493 public elementary schools	50.9%		56.4	220^th of 497 public elementary schools	55.7%	22	67.2	50.0	50.0	62.1	50.0	48.4	50.0	$21,873
Quaker Hill Elementary School	Public	K-5	285 Bloomingdale Rd.	Quaker Hill	06375	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	Waterford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 442-1095	331	30	10.9	38.4%	197 (59.5%)	15 (4.5%)	68 (20.5%)	30 (9.1%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	18 (5.4%)	68	183^rd of 493 public elementary schools	62.9%		67	187^th of 497 public elementary schools	62.4%	4	59.3	62.1		61.0	67.2		57.6	$25,440
C.B. Jennings International Elementary Magnet	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	50 Mercer Street	New London	06320	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	New London School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(860) 447-6050	406	43	9.4	91.6%	26 (6.4%)	81 (20.0%)	266 (65.5%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (6.9%)	4.6	486^th of 493 public elementary schools	1.4%		5.4	485^th of 497 public elementary schools	2.4%	1	19.7	12.2	15.1		12.2	11.3	7.9	$26,349
Thames River Magnet School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	250 Brandegee Avenue	Groton	06340	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	Groton School District	No	Yes	No	No	(860) 980-8230	501	41	12.2	74.3%	200 (39.9%)	48 (9.6%)	127 (25.3%)	39 (7.8%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	81 (16.2%)	51.5	247^th of 493 public elementary schools	49.9%		52.9	238^th of 497 public elementary schools	52.1%	9	64.6	39.4	60.3	61.5	34.8	54.4	50.8	$22,566
Northeast Academy Magnet School	Public	PK, KG-5	115 Oslo Street	Mystic	06355	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	Groton School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 572-5852	392	31	12.5	36.7%	250 (63.8%)	10 (2.6%)	61 (15.6%)	15 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (14.3%)	70.4	170^th of 493 public elementary schools	65.5%		75.2	142^nd of 497 public elementary schools	71.4%	28	65.8	58.1	64.7	67.1	59.7	69.1	59.5	$21,137
Mystic River Magnet School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	160 Fishtown Rd	Mystic	06355	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	Groton School District	No	Yes	No	No	(860) 980-8300	520	44	11.9	81.3%	224 (43.1%)	38 (7.3%)	160 (30.8%)	35 (6.7%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	58 (11.2%)	34.6	307^th of 493 public elementary schools	37.7%		36	302^nd of 497 public elementary schools	39.2%	5		37.0	47.5		52.1	39.3	34.5	$23,852
Juliet W. Long School	Public	3-5	1854 Route12	Gales Ferry	06335	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	Ledyard School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 464-2780	265	19	14.0	25.7%	168 (63.4%)	8 (3.0%)	47 (17.7%)	9 (3.4%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	31 (11.7%)	58.1	228^th of 493 public elementary schools	53.8%		55.3	223^rd of 497 public elementary schools	55.1%	5	63.6	47.7	63.8	53.5	52.3	68.8	47.5	$16,509

Frequently Asked Questions about Charles Barnum Magnet School

What schools do graduates of Charles Barnum Magnet School attend?

Students who attend Charles Barnum Magnet School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Groton Middle School
High : Robert E. Fitch High School

What district is Charles Barnum Magnet School in?

Groton School District

Is Charles Barnum Magnet School a good school?

Charles Barnum Magnet School ranks 295^th of 493 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Charles Barnum Magnet School?

Students at Charles Barnum Magnet School are 51% White, 27% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 7% African American, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Charles Barnum Magnet School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 339 students attended Charles Barnum Magnet School.

Rate Charles Barnum Magnet 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.