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Nathan Hale School

Q: Is Nathan Hale School a good school?

Nathan Hale School ranks 147 th of 492 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

147^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 492 Connecticut Elementary Schools

Better than 70% of Connecticut elementary schools

Summary

Nathan Hale School is a PK-5 elementary school in Meriden, CT, serving 485 students within the Meriden School District. Despite serving a high-poverty population (roughly 76% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch), the school has become one of the district's standout success stories, earning a 4-star rating and ranking 147th out of 491 Connecticut elementary schools (70th percentile) for 2025-26. This represents strong growth from a 1-star rating in 2017-18, when it sat in the 27th percentile.

Academically, Nathan Hale outperforms both the Meriden district and Connecticut state averages in nearly every grade and subject. For example, 5th grade ELA proficiency stands at 82.9% compared to 58.5% for the district and 53.5% statewide, while 5th grade math proficiency is 73.7% versus 59.1% for the district and 45.8% statewide. Results are especially strong for Hispanic students, who rank 4th out of 129 schools statewide (97th percentile), and for low-income students, who ranked 10th out of 72 schools (86th percentile). Nathan Hale's 147th-place ranking is nearly identical to nearby Thomas Hooker School (148th), yet Nathan Hale achieves this with a much higher poverty rate. It also substantially outperforms neighboring Hanover School (ranked 285th) and Casimir Pulaski School (ranked 261st).

Attendance appears to be a hidden driver of the school's success. Chronic absenteeism has dropped from 28.3% in 2021-22 to just 10.3% in 2025-26 — well below the district average of 19.9% and the state average of 16.4%. The school also achieves strong results efficiently, spending roughly $12,486 per student, notably less than nearby schools like Mary G. Fritz Elementary School of Yalesville ($18,686) and Moody School ($21,011). The main area for improvement is science proficiency, which has lagged behind the state average in recent years, and there is a notable gender gap, with female students ranking at the 70th percentile versus the 51st percentile for males. Overall, Nathan Hale demonstrates that high-poverty schools can achieve strong academic results with effective instructional practices and strong attendance efforts.

485

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,348

Per pupil spending ?

76.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

277 Atkins St. Ext.
Meriden, CT 06450

(203) 237-7486

District: Meriden School District

Students who attend Nathan Hale School usually attend:

Middle:	Washington Middle School
High:	Francis T. Maloney High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

61.6%

White:

20.6%

African American:

10.5%

See top rated Connecticut elementary schools

Compare Nathan Hale School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 27th percentile in 2016 → 70th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Connecticut average (69% vs 51% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 43 percentile points since 2016

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Meriden School District

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school69%

District avg56%

Connecticut avg51%

147^th of 492

Connecticut public elementary schools ?

Top 30%▲ up 43 pts since 2016

From bottom 27% (2016) to top 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 8Elementary Schools in the Meriden School District

103^rd of 153Meriden 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	75.8	147 of 492	70.1%	★★★★☆
2025	69.0	178 of 493	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.8	207 of 497	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.2	256 of 491	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.0	298 of 490	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.2	304 of 538	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.1	311 of 522	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.6	391 of 532	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.4	385 of 519	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	26.5	378 of 518	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.6	438 of 551	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	36.8	413 of 557	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	35.3	433 of 564	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	28.2	458 of 565	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	27.6	473 of 579	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	26.1	465 of 566	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	29.5	451 of 565	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	29.1	453 of 568	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	16.5	497 of 570	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	76.2	67 of 228	70.6%	★★★★☆
2025	73.5	75 of 232	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.8	108 of 237	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.4	146 of 230	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.0	157 of 234	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.2	244 of 455	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.5	173 of 242	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.5	214 of 259	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	95.9	4 of 130	96.9%	★★★★★
2025	93.9	11 of 132	91.7%	★★★★★
2024	92.3	10 of 111	91.0%	★★★★★
2023	86.9	8 of 108	92.6%	★★★★★
2022	82.6	8 of 99	91.9%	★★★★★
2021	78.8	25 of 173	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	66.7	28 of 112	75.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2023	73.8	10 of 72	86.1%	★★★★☆
2021	70.4	65 of 302	78.5%	★★★★☆
2019	59.1	21 of 60	65.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	61.4	114 of 234	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.6	116 of 239	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.6	149 of 233	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.5	159 of 231	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.5	192 of 232	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.2	299 of 445	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.2	176 of 247	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.3	215 of 262	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	65.9	104 of 371	72.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2023	50.1	155 of 262	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.7	199 of 327	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.5	193 of 295	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.1	240 of 296	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)97th percentile+27 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)86th percentile+38 vs school

Special Education (2021)72nd percentile+28 vs school

Female (2026)71st percentile~ school

Male (2026)51st percentile-19 vs school

White (2023)41st percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics71%+21 vs state

English Language Arts66%+15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Nathan Hale 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	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
Nathan Hale School	Public	PK, KG-5	277 Atkins St. Ext.	Meriden	06450	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Meriden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 237-7486	485	32	15.3	76.1%	100 (20.6%)	51 (10.5%)	299 (61.6%)	10 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.2%)	75.8	147^th of 492 public elementary schools	70.1%		69	178^th of 493 public elementary schools	63.9%	31	504.0	63.4	54.5	82.9	75.6	66.3	73.7	$15,348
Roger Sherman School	Public	PK, KG-5	64 North Pearl St.	Meriden	06450	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Meriden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 238-1286	457	34	13.6	84.5%	60 (13.1%)	49 (10.7%)	308 (67.4%)	12 (2.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (5.5%)	57.4	229^th of 492 public elementary schools	53.5%		56.7	232^nd of 493 public elementary schools	52.9%	3	495.0	47.6	57.8	58.4	47.6	56.6	67.3	$15,047
Israel Putnam School	Public	PK, KG-5	133 Parker Ave.	Meriden	06450	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Meriden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 237-8493	445	31	14.4	81.1%	77 (17.3%)	68 (15.3%)	249 (56.0%)	12 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (8.8%)	72.3	168^th of 492 public elementary schools	65.9%		66.7	188^th of 493 public elementary schools	61.9%	20	61.5	62.1	65.8	66.7	72.4	67.1	59.0	$15,294
John Barry School	Public	PK, KG-5	124 Columbia St.	Meriden	06450	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Meriden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 237-8831	418	29	14.4	86.8%	40 (9.6%)	51 (12.2%)	289 (69.1%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.4%)	54.8	241^st of 492 public elementary schools	51.0%		53.5	241^st of 493 public elementary schools	51.1%		493.0	42.3	47.9	61.4	55.1	60.6	61.4	$16,862
Thomas Hooker School	Public	PK, KG-5	70 Overlook Rd.	Meriden	06450	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Meriden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 237-8839	404	26	15.4	59.4%	94 (23.3%)	22 (5.4%)	259 (64.1%)	11 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.5%)	75.4	148^th of 492 public elementary schools	69.9%		80.3	106^th of 493 public elementary schools	78.5%	42	507.0	69.2	60.5	2622.0	79.5	60.5	65.7	$15,060
Casimir Pulaski School	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Clearview Ave.	Meriden	06450	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Meriden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 238-1273	539	37	14.5	87.4%	86 (16.0%)	53 (9.8%)	367 (68.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.8%)	47.5	261^st of 492 public elementary schools	47.0%		38.8	285^th of 493 public elementary schools	42.2%	24	51.6	48.1	49.5	40.9	65.1	48.3	47.8	$14,636
Benjamin Franklin School	Public	PK, KG-5	426 West Main St.	Meriden	06450	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Meriden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 235-7997	357	25	14.5	68.6%	95 (26.6%)	47 (13.2%)	183 (51.3%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (7.3%)	64.4	200^th of 492 public elementary schools	59.3%		65.5	200^th of 493 public elementary schools	59.4%		68.8	54.1	54.3	56.3	72.1	65.7	52.1	$17,414
John Lyman School	Public	2-4	106 Way Rd.	Middlefield	06455	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Regional School District 13	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 349-7240	207	19	10.7	18.4%	183 (88.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (8.2%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	52.8	248^th of 492 public elementary schools	49.6%					(n/a)		53.3	64.6		51.4	44.8		$28,336
Hanover School	Public	PK, KG-5	208 Main St.	Meriden	06450	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Meriden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 235-6359	456	40	11.6	62.1%	100 (21.9%)	35 (7.7%)	286 (62.7%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.6%)	40.6	285^th of 492 public elementary schools	42.1%		30.1	323^rd of 493 public elementary schools	34.5%	38	47.1	32.5	39.7	43.7	44.6	64.5	54.0	$15,503
Moody School	Public	PK, KG-5	300 Country Club Rd.	Middletown	06457	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Middletown School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 347-2561	212	17	12.7	27.8%	109 (51.4%)	27 (12.7%)	38 (17.9%)	12 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	24 (11.3%)	73.6	157^th of 492 public elementary schools	68.1%		74.5	149^th of 493 public elementary schools	69.8%	8	79.4	59.0	2483.0	64.7	64.1	62.1	70.6	$28,337

Frequently Asked Questions about Nathan Hale School

What is the racial makeup of Nathan Hale School?

Students at Nathan Hale School are 62% Hispanic, 21% White, 11% African American, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Nathan Hale School a good school?

Nathan Hale School ranks 147^th of 492 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Nathan Hale School in?

Meriden School District

What schools do graduates of Nathan Hale School attend?

Students who attend Nathan Hale School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Washington Middle School
High : Francis T. Maloney High School

How many students attend Nathan Hale School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 485 students attended Nathan Hale School.

Rate Nathan Hale 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.