Spencer School

Spencer School is a PK–5 elementary school in Middletown, CT, serving 237 students from a largely high-poverty community. The school is rated 2 stars and ranks 301st out of 491 elementary schools in Connecticut—a meaningful bright spot within the Middletown School District, which overall ranks in the bottom 13th percentile statewide. Spencer posts the lowest student-teacher ratio in the area at 10.2 to 1 and spends about $19,314 per pupil, above most of its district peers.

Reading is Spencer's clearest strength. In 2025-26, 4th-grade ELA proficiency reached 55.3%, beating the state average of 50.9% and far exceeding the district's 38.5%. Science is also solid, with 5th-grade proficiency at 50% in 2024-25, nearly matching the state's 52.2%. Chronic absenteeism has fallen from 25.8% in 2021-22 to 16.1%—now right at the state average and well below the district's 22.1%. Within the district, Spencer outranks Farm Hill School, Lawrence School, Macdonough School, and Bielefield School, and performs on par with Wesley School despite serving nearly double the poverty rate. Only Moody School clearly outperforms it, though Moody has a much more affluent student body.

The biggest concern is mathematics. Spencer's math proficiency has consistently lagged the state by 10 to 20 points—for example, 5th-grade math was just 34.1% in 2025-26 versus 45.8% statewide, a striking contrast to the school's strong reading scores. The school does serve its low-income students relatively well, ranking at the statewide median for that group. Grade-level scores fluctuate year to year with such a small student body, so it's worth watching multi-year trends. With small classes, improving attendance, and a solid literacy foundation, Spencer has the key ingredients to climb the rankings if math becomes a focused priority.