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Walter C. Polson Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

8^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 258 Connecticut Middle Schools

Better than 97% of Connecticut middle schools

Summary

Walter C. Polson Middle School serves 541 students in grades 6–8 in Madison, CT, a shoreline community on Long Island Sound, and is part of the top-ranked Madison School District, which is ranked 5th out of 153 districts in Connecticut. The school itself is one of the state's elite middle schools, earning a #8 ranking out of 258 middle schools (97th percentile) for 2025–2026, after ranking #3 in the state the prior year. Academic proficiency is exceptionally high across every grade and subject, with ELA proficiency ranging from 79.1% to 82.2%, math from 77.3% to 84.9%, and 8th-grade science at 84.6% — all far above Connecticut state averages.

Polson stands out even when compared with its high-performing neighbors. In 7th-grade math, 84.9% of Polson students were proficient, compared with 71.3% at E. C. Adams Middle School, 65.9% at Old Saybrook Middle School, and 51.4% at Francis Walsh Intermediate School. Chronic absenteeism is just 4.5%, far below the state rate of 16.4% and lower than every nearby school included in the comparison. The school also maintains a favorable student-to-teacher ratio of 9.8:1, and 8th-grade science scores have surged from the low 60s in 2022–2023 to the mid-80s in the past two years.

Perhaps most impressive is the consistency and breadth of Polson's success. Every grade level performs at a similarly high level, with no weak link in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade. Students receiving special education services ranked #1 in the state in 2024–2025, and the school has ranked #8 of 104 for students with disabilities in prior years. This sustained excellence is no accident: Polson climbed from a #89 ranking in 2018–2019 to a consistent top-11 finish each year since 2020–2021. While only about 6.5% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch — a much lower rate than neighbors like Jared Eliot School in Clinton (47.6%) — Polson's strong attendance culture, targeted subgroup support, and coherent curriculum point to institutional practices that drive its success.

541

Students ?

9.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,769

Per pupil spending ?

6.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

302 Green Hill Rd.
Madison, CT 06443

(203) 245-6480

District: Madison School District

Students who attend Walter C. Polson Middle School usually attend:

High:

Daniel Hand High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.7%

Hispanic:

9.4%

Two or more races:

5.4%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 76th percentile in 2016 → 97th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Connecticut average (81% vs 48% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 3% of Connecticut middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 21 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school81%

District avg81%

Connecticut avg48%

8^th of 258

Connecticut public middle schools ?

Top 3%▲ up 20 pts since 2016

From top 24% (2016) to top 3% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 153Madison 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	94.3	8 of 258	96.9%	★★★★★
2025	95.9	3 of 252	98.8%	★★★★★
2024	92.1	11 of 250	95.6%	★★★★★
2023	92.8	9 of 249	96.4%	★★★★★
2022	87.6	28 of 250	88.8%	★★★★☆
2021	93.0	11 of 275	96.0%	★★★★★
2019	69.7	89 of 259	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.7	84 of 249	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	69.8	78 of 250	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	76.7	58 of 246	76.4%	★★★★☆
2015	87.8	25 of 280	91.1%	★★★★★
2013	80.9	23 of 278	91.7%	★★★★★
2012	80.9	23 of 272	91.5%	★★★★★
2011	81.8	18 of 269	93.3%	★★★★★
2010	83.9	10 of 268	96.3%	★★★★★
2009	85.2	5 of 255	98.0%	★★★★★
2008	84.6	9 of 252	96.4%	★★★★★
2007	82.8	19 of 250	92.4%	★★★★★
2006	84.8	11 of 248	95.6%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	86.1	8 of 104	92.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	91.3	7 of 164	95.7%	★★★★★
2025	92.8	5 of 164	97.0%	★★★★★
2024	89.4	10 of 161	93.8%	★★★★★
2023	91.2	6 of 160	96.3%	★★★★★
2022	85.9	18 of 166	89.2%	★★★★☆
2021	92.5	9 of 235	96.2%	★★★★★
2019	60.3	83 of 169	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.6	52 of 160	67.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	91.9	4 of 164	97.6%	★★★★★
2025	94.8	3 of 162	98.1%	★★★★★
2024	94.2	4 of 157	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	93.9	4 of 158	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	83.0	26 of 169	84.6%	★★★★☆
2021	90.8	13 of 224	94.2%	★★★★★
2019	64.2	71 of 167	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.0	58 of 164	64.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	88.6	1 of 27	96.3%	★★★★★
2021	63.0	79 of 244	67.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	89.2	6 of 150	96.0%	★★★★★
2025	91.3	6 of 153	96.1%	★★★★★
2024	82.2	19 of 154	87.7%	★★★★☆
2023	87.6	6 of 158	96.2%	★★★★★
2022	76.1	31 of 151	79.5%	★★★★☆
2021	85.9	14 of 175	92.0%	★★★★★
2019	40.1	102 of 166	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.0	95 of 168	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2026)98th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)96th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)96th percentile~ school

Female (2026)96th percentile~ school

Disabled (2021)92nd percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2025-2026) ?

Science85%+34 vs state

Mathematics81%+38 vs state

English Language Arts81%+29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Walter C. Polson 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
Walter C. Polson Middle School	Public	6-8	302 Green Hill Rd.	Madison	06443	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	Madison School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 245-6480	541	55	9.8	6.5%	431 (79.7%)	5 (0.9%)	51 (9.4%)	24 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.4%)	94.3	8^th of 258 public middle schools	96.9%		95.9	3^rd of 252 public middle schools	98.8%	5		84.6		81.1	82.2	79.1		77.3	84.9	81.3	$25,769
E. C. Adams Middle School	Public	7-8	233 Church St.	Guilford	06437	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	Guilford School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 453-2755	478	46	10.3	14.4%	399 (83.5%)	4 (0.8%)	40 (8.4%)	17 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.3%)	88.3	26^th of 258 public middle schools	89.9%		90.9	15^th of 252 public middle schools	94.0%	11		73.9			71.4	74.2			71.3	72.1	$22,909
Jared Eliot School	Public	5-8	69 Fairy Dell Rd.	Clinton	06413	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Clinton School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 664-6503	418	42	9.8	47.6%	274 (65.6%)	3 (0.7%)	125 (29.9%)	9 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	57.5	109^th of 258 public middle schools	57.8%		63.4	92^nd of 252 public middle schools	63.5%	17	63.7	51.8	51.5	51.7	55.7	42.9	41.6	47.8	54.7	50.9	$27,415
A. Baldwin Middle School	Public	5-6	68 Bullard Dr.	Guilford	06437	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	Guilford School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 457-0222	463	42	11.1	14.7%	360 (77.8%)	3 (0.6%)	52 (11.2%)	24 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.2%)								(n/a)	73.6		76.2	74.2			63.2	72.9			$23,173
Haddam-Killingworth Middle School	Public	6-8	451 Route 81	Killingworth	06419	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Regional School District 17	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 663-1241	423	38	11.2	15.6%	376 (88.9%)	7 (1.7%)	21 (5.0%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.3%)	73.2	72^nd of 258 public middle schools	72.1%		84.6	33^rd of 252 public middle schools	86.9%	39		57.8		61.7	60.8	67.2		65.2	55.4	52.3	$27,462
Westbrook Middle School	Public	6-8	154 McVeagh Rd.	Westbrook	06498	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Westbrook School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 399-2010	126	20	6.2	42.1%	89 (70.6%)	1 (0.8%)	31 (24.6%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.2%)	90.4	17^th of 258 public middle schools	93.4%		77.7	56^th of 252 public middle schools	77.8%	39		812.0		72.2	75.7	74.1		77.8	2626.0	85.2	$42,489
Francis Walsh Intermediate School	Public	5-8	185 Damascus Rd.	Branford	06405	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	Branford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 488-8317	775	72	10.7	42.5%	505 (65.2%)	44 (5.7%)	138 (17.8%)	42 (5.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (5.4%)	56.2	113^th of 258 public middle schools	56.2%		56.4	108^th of 252 public middle schools	57.1%	5	506.0	801.0	73.2	51.9	53.8	50.0	57.0	51.4	51.4	38.7	$35,515
John Winthrop Middle School	Public	7-8	1 Winthrop Road	Deep River	06417	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Regional School District 04	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 526-9546	197	19	10.5	25.9%	171 (86.8%)	1 (0.5%)	15 (7.6%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.1%)	61.3	99^th of 258 public middle schools	61.6%		75.5	61^st of 252 public middle schools	75.8%	38		54.0			51.1	61.6			48.9	47.7	$34,408
North Branford Intermediate School	Public	6-8	654 Foxon Rd.	North Branford	06471	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	North Branford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 484-1500	352	33	10.6	23.9%	294 (83.5%)	1 (0.3%)	43 (12.2%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.8%)	59.6	102^nd of 258 public middle schools	60.5%		57.4	106^th of 252 public middle schools	57.9%	4		49.1		65.2	48.3	55.6		50.9	41.4	54.7	$22,689
Old Saybrook Middle School	Public	5-8	60 Sheffield St.	Old Saybrook	06475	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Old Saybrook School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 395-3168	307	36	8.5	25.1%	229 (74.6%)	1 (0.3%)	52 (16.9%)	14 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.3%)	86.8	30^th of 258 public middle schools	88.4%		82.6	41^st of 252 public middle schools	83.7%	11	506.0	816.0	62.3	78.1	74.1	71.6	47.2	78.1	65.9	59.7	$30,483

Frequently Asked Questions about Walter C. Polson Middle School

Is Walter C. Polson Middle School a good school?

Yes! Walter C. Polson Middle School is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 8^th of 258 Connecticut middle schools.

What district is Walter C. Polson Middle School in?

Madison School District

What is the racial makeup of Walter C. Polson Middle School?

Students at Walter C. Polson Middle School are 80% White, 9% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

How many students attend Walter C. Polson Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 541 students attended Walter C. Polson Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Walter C. Polson Middle School attend?

Students who attend Walter C. Polson Middle School usually go on to attend Daniel Hand High School

Rate Walter C. Polson 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.