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Waddell School

Q: Is Waddell School a good school?

Waddell School ranks 341 st of 493 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

341^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 493 Connecticut Elementary Schools

Better than 31% of Connecticut elementary schools

Summary

Waddell School is an elementary school in Manchester, Connecticut, serving 509 students from kindergarten to 4th grade. It is part of the Manchester School District, which is ranked 132 out of 156 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Waddell School has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Connecticut elementary schools, with a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Waddell School faces significant challenges in terms of academic performance, with only 42.9% of 3rd-grade students and 36.9% of 4th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state averages of 46.9% and 51.4%, respectively. The performance gap is even wider in mathematics, with only 33.7% of 3rd-grade students and 34.5% of 4th-grade students at Waddell School being proficient or better, compared to the state averages of 52.2% and 51.4%. The school also has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 17.2% to 25.1%, which is significantly higher than the state's target of 10% or less.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Keeney School, Buckley School, and Highland Park School, generally perform better academically than Waddell School, with higher proficiency rates in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. Buckley School, in particular, stands out with significantly higher academic performance, with 60.6% of 3rd-grade students and 72.2% of 4th-grade students proficient or better in ELA, and 62.1% of 3rd-grade students and 70.4% of 4th-grade students proficient or better in Mathematics.

476

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,521

Per pupil spending ?

63.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

163 Broad Street
Manchester, CT 06042

(860) 647-3392

District: Manchester School District

Students who attend Waddell School usually attend:

Middle:	Illing Middle School
High:	Manchester High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

34.7%

African American:

23.9%

Asian:

19.3%

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Compare Waddell School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 30th percentile in 2013 → 31st in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Connecticut average (37% vs 50% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 18 pts below the Connecticut average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg39%

Connecticut avg50%

341^st of 493

Connecticut public elementary schools ?

Bottom 31%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6Elementary Schools in the Manchester School District

132^nd of 156Manchester 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	25.6	341 of 493	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.7	348 of 497	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.9	340 of 491	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.3	345 of 490	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.5	314 of 538	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.3	350 of 522	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	18.0	432 of 532	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.9	394 of 518	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	38.6	369 of 551	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	42.2	388 of 557	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	57.4	322 of 564	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	41.4	407 of 565	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	48.1	382 of 579	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	48.7	383 of 566	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	59.2	316 of 565	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	59.2	308 of 568	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	41.7	394 of 570	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	76.8	3 of 41	92.7%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2022	20.5	195 of 234	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.0	286 of 455	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	15.1	214 of 242	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2024	48.4	42 of 111	62.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	33.9	48 of 77	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.0	37 of 70	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	68.2	72 of 302	76.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	10.1	217 of 239	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.9	211 of 232	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	36.1	264 of 445	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.4	171 of 247	30.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	65.5	107 of 371	71.2%	★★★★☆

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)

African American (2021)93rd percentile+51 vs school

Special Education (2021)71st percentile+30 vs school

Hispanic (2024)62nd percentile+32 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)38th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2022)17th percentile-13 vs school

Male (2025)9th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts40%-9 vs state

Mathematics34%-18 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Wednesday, April 6, 2016

The best after attending, your child will grow to be the greatest person meant to live in this society. The low ratings it may appear to have is just an idiotic system of the, failed standardized testing, in reality that doesn't matter in elementary, whats does matter is being a kid learn about the strange world which you are just getting to know. So instead of being locked up and taking test for idealistic elitism demonstrations you idiots should find the values of natural life and a child freedom and let them be just that free. Once upon a time i went there and the grand scale of diversity and that fact that we had recess even in cold days allowed me to explore everything about the world i lived in i was able to interact with plants and insects and i was able to develop simple communication skills without prejudice of my fellow child based on the color of their skin because i simple just saw another being attempting to beat the opposite team at kickball but instead this is lost because of so many peoples brilliant idea to throw tests and papers at a child an presume that they will comprehend what could have easily been understood by hands on out side fun. But its better to take their child like sense of wonder at a young age to better integrate them into a mindless conformist society especially with all their lazy idiotic parents who have children just to put an iPad in front of their faces and never truly enjoy their children. What i'm getting at is that waddell is amazing the school system isn't dont trust scores love your children love the world. Close Quote

Schools Near Waddell 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 English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 8th Grade	Total
Waddell School	Public	PK, KG-4	163 Broad Street	Manchester	06042	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 647-3392	476	40	11.8	63.4%	73 (15.3%)	114 (23.9%)	165 (34.7%)	92 (19.3%)	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.5%)	25.6	341^st of 493 public elementary schools	30.8%		25.7	348^th of 497 public elementary schools	30.0%	7		42.9	36.9				33.7	34.5					$22,521
Odyssey Community School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	579 Middle Tpke West	Manchester	06040	Capitol Planning Region	Odyssey Community School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(860) 645-1234	410	33	12.4	40.5%	97 (23.7%)	91 (22.2%)	86 (21.0%)	105 (25.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.8%)	58.1	229^th of 493 public elementary schools	53.5%		63.1	198^th of 497 public elementary schools	60.2%	31		63.9	59.5	52.6	54.1	32.4		59.5	31.6	62.2	61.1	41.2	$14,822
Keeney School	Public	PK, KG-4	65 North School St.	Manchester	06042	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 647-3354	366	30	12.1	53.3%	142 (38.8%)	87 (23.8%)	85 (23.2%)	27 (7.4%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.7%)	23.2	351^st of 493 public elementary schools	28.8%		14.5	397^th of 497 public elementary schools	20.1%	46		41.3	39.0					26.0					$22,644
Verplanck School	Public	PK, KG-4	126 Olcott Street	Manchester	06040	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 647-3383	466	40	11.6	77.5%	67 (14.4%)	108 (23.2%)	233 (50.0%)	30 (6.4%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.2%)	11.3	422^nd of 493 public elementary schools	14.4%		6.8	468^th of 497 public elementary schools	5.8%	46		34.4	13.7				30.1	9.5					$22,788
Bowers School	Public	PK, KG-5	141 Princeton Street	Manchester	06042	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 647-3313	376	32	11.9	67.0%	84 (22.3%)	78 (20.7%)	176 (46.8%)	16 (4.3%)	3 (0.8%)	2 (0.5%)	17 (4.5%)	17.3	386^th of 493 public elementary schools	21.7%		15	396^th of 497 public elementary schools	20.3%	10		33.7	36.4				29.8	23.4					$24,280
Buckley School	Public	PK, KG-4	250 Vernon Street	Manchester	06042	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 647-3302	284	28	10.2	52.5%	99 (34.9%)	65 (22.9%)	72 (25.4%)	28 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.0%)	72.9	159^th of 493 public elementary schools	67.7%		76.1	138^th of 497 public elementary schools	72.2%	21		60.6	72.2				62.1	70.4					$24,845
Highland Park School	Public	PK, KG-4	397 Porter St.	Manchester	06040	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 647-3430	300	29	10.3	54.3%	99 (33.0%)	64 (21.3%)	101 (33.7%)	21 (7.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.7%)	50.4	251^st of 493 public elementary schools	49.1%		29.9	328^th of 497 public elementary schools	34.0%	77		62.9	48.3				54.3	41.7					$23,647
Manchester Preschool Center at Martin	Public	PK-K	140 Dartmouth Rd	Manchester	06040	Capitol Planning Region	Manchester School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(860) 647-3367	153	11	13.7	67.3%	23 (15.0%)	37 (24.2%)	55 (35.9%)	28 (18.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.5%)								(n/a)													$18,610
Dr. Franklin H. Mayberry School	Public	K-5	101 Great Hill Rd.	East Hartford	06108	Capitol Planning Region	East Hartford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 622-5720	310	28	10.9	70.6%	18 (5.8%)	76 (24.5%)	190 (61.3%)	7 (2.3%)	5 (1.6%)	2 (0.6%)	12 (3.9%)	15.5	399^th of 493 public elementary schools	19.1%		10.8	434^th of 497 public elementary schools	12.7%	35	40.0	23.6		35.6			22.2	23.1					$20,495
Orchard Hill School	Public	K-5	380 Foster St.	South Windsor	06074	Capitol Planning Region	South Windsor School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 648-5015	623	48	13.0	19.7%	260 (41.7%)	33 (5.3%)	63 (10.1%)	236 (37.9%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.5%)	85.8	62^nd of 493 public elementary schools	87.4%		86.1	59^th of 497 public elementary schools	88.1%	3	76.3	71.9	77.0	77.1			81.6	85.1	63.6				$17,198

Frequently Asked Questions about Waddell School

What is the racial makeup of Waddell School?

Students at Waddell School are 35% Hispanic, 24% African American, 19% Asian, 15% White, 5% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

Is Waddell School a good school?

Waddell School ranks 341^st of 493 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Waddell School in?

Manchester School District

How many students attend Waddell School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 476 students attended Waddell School.

What schools do graduates of Waddell School attend?

Students who attend Waddell School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Illing Middle School
High : Manchester 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.