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Smith Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

413^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 491 Connecticut Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Connecticut elementary schools

Summary

Smith Elementary School is a K–5 school in New Britain, CT, serving 461 students in the New Britain School District, a district ranked near the bottom of Connecticut's 153 districts. The school itself ranks 413th of 491 Connecticut elementary schools for 2025–2026, placing it in the lower third of the state but above many of its district peers. About 80% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and Smith is one of the stronger elementary schools within New Britain: its overall rank of 413 is bettered only by Lincoln Elementary (400) among comparable district schools, while Gaffney (435), Chamberlain (436), Vance (442), Northend (448), and Smalley (477) all rank lower.

One of Smith's most distinctive strengths is its 5th grade performance. In 2025–2026, Smith's 5th graders posted proficiency rates well above the district average in ELA (34.8% vs. 26.3%), math (30.4% vs. 18.4%), and science (29.0% vs. 24.2%). The same pattern held the previous year, suggesting a genuine "5th grade bump" rather than a one-year fluke. Attendance is another bright spot: chronic absenteeism has fallen from 34.6% in 2021–2022 to 23.0% in 2025–2026, which is nine points better than the district's 32.0% rate. This improvement accompanies the school's upward trajectory from the 7th percentile in 2021–2022 to the 16th percentile in 2025–2026.

Smith's main challenges are low absolute proficiency rates and a noticeable dip in 4th grade, where ELA (13.4%) and math (15.0%) both fall below district averages. There is also a significant gender gap, with female students at the 9th percentile and male students at the 14th percentile statewide. The contrast with nearby towns is stark: Mary E. Griswold School in the Berlin School District and Ruth Chaffee School in the Newington School District have far lower poverty rates and much higher proficiency (68.4% vs. 34.8% in 5th grade ELA at Griswold). These gaps reflect broader socioeconomic differences between communities rather than a simple measure of school quality. Notably, Smith spends about $14,530 per student — less than several higher-spending schools it outperforms — suggesting that instructional effectiveness, not just funding, matters.

461

Students ?

12.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,603

Per pupil spending ?

80.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

142 Rutherford St.
New Britain, CT 06051

(860) 223-1574

District: New Britain School District

Students who attend Smith Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy
High:	New Britain High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

67.7%

White:

12.8%

African American:

10.4%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 23rd percentile in 2023 → 16th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Connecticut average (25% vs 51% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped from its 23rd-percentile peak (2023) to 16th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg22%

Connecticut avg51%

413^th of 491

Connecticut public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▲ up 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 11% (2016) to bottom 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 10Elementary Schools in the New Britain School District

150^th of 153New Britain 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	12.5	413 of 491	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	9.6	435 of 493	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.0	445 of 497	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.6	377 of 491	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	7.1	458 of 490	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.0	511 of 538	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.7	493 of 522	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.5	501 of 532	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	5.3	487 of 519	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.5	459 of 518	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	11.5	483 of 551	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	5.5	533 of 557	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	3.6	549 of 564	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	2.4	553 of 565	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.4	550 of 579	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	10.7	515 of 566	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	9.9	518 of 565	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	15.6	497 of 568	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	6.6	544 of 570	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	8.2	204 of 225	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.4	429 of 455	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.4	234 of 242	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.3	247 of 259	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	32.3	84 of 129	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	21.8	108 of 132	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.8	89 of 111	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.8	63 of 108	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	18.8	88 of 99	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.9	160 of 173	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.0	104 of 112	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.3	92 of 101	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	14.3	267 of 302	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	13.4	200 of 232	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	4.6	424 of 445	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.9	243 of 247	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.4	259 of 262	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	12.5	336 of 371	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)35th percentile+19 vs school

Male (2026)14th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)12th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2021)9th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)9th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2025-2026) ?

Science29%-24 vs state

Mathematics25%-25 vs state

English Language Arts23%-29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Smith Elementary 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
Smith Elementary School	Public	K-5	142 Rutherford St.	New Britain	06051	Capitol Planning Region	New Britain School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 223-1574	461	36	12.9	80.3%	59 (12.8%)	48 (10.4%)	312 (67.7%)	9 (2.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.5%)	12.5	413^th of 491 public elementary schools	15.9%		9.6	435^th of 493 public elementary schools	11.8%	22	29.0		13.4	34.8	31.0	15.0	30.4	$19,603
Chamberlain Elementary School	Public	K-5	221 Farmington Ave.	New Britain	06053	Capitol Planning Region	New Britain School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 832-5691	402	32	12.4	79.4%	40 (10.0%)	49 (12.2%)	285 (70.9%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.7%)	9.5	436^th of 491 public elementary schools	11.2%		4.6	484^th of 493 public elementary schools	1.8%	48	17.3	29.9	25.4	29.3	25.4	13.4	16.0	$21,263
Northend Elementary School	Public	K-5	160 Bassett St.	New Britain	06051	Capitol Planning Region	New Britain School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 223-3819	212	19	11.2	79.2%	13 (6.1%)	37 (17.5%)	142 (67.0%)	6 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (6.6%)	7.9	448^th of 491 public elementary schools	8.8%		8.6	450^th of 493 public elementary schools	8.7%	2		22.6	19.2		22.6	17.3	20.0	$21,949
John Paterson School	Public	PK, KG-4	120 Church Street	Newington	06111	Capitol Planning Region	Newington School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 666-4657	394	34	11.7	36.0%	216 (54.8%)	23 (5.8%)	106 (26.9%)	34 (8.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.6%)	58.1	227^th of 491 public elementary schools	53.8%		46.8	256^th of 493 public elementary schools	48.1%	29		64.1	53.2		60.3	49.4		$21,919
Smalley Elementary School	Public	K-5	175 West St.	New Britain	06051	Capitol Planning Region	New Britain School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 225-8647	594	46	12.8	86.2%	39 (6.6%)	53 (8.9%)	467 (78.6%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.9%)	5	477^th of 491 public elementary schools	2.9%		4.6	485^th of 493 public elementary schools	1.6%	8	21.4	15.7			13.1	11.0	7.1	$18,690
Vance Elementary School	Public	K-5	183 Vance St.	New Britain	06052	Capitol Planning Region	New Britain School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 225-8731	438	30	14.4	77.6%	43 (9.8%)	52 (11.9%)	310 (70.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.1%)	8.6	442^nd of 491 public elementary schools	10.0%		9	444^th of 493 public elementary schools	9.9%	2	18.6	20.8	17.9	28.6		27.1	12.9	$18,612
Mary E. Griswold School	Public	PK, KG-5	133 Heather Ln.	Kensington	06037	Capitol Planning Region	Berlin School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 828-6336	513	39	13.1	22.8%	406 (79.1%)	12 (2.3%)	71 (13.8%)	10 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.3%)	68.5	187^th of 491 public elementary schools	61.9%		72.1	163^rd of 493 public elementary schools	66.9%	24	63.3	57.7	61.6	68.4	60.8	66.7	60.8	$19,346
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	K-5	145 Steele St.	New Britain	06052	Capitol Planning Region	New Britain School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 229-2564	552	42	13.2	78.4%	92 (16.7%)	58 (10.5%)	354 (64.1%)	13 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.3%)	14.6	400^th of 491 public elementary schools	18.5%		10.9	426^th of 493 public elementary schools	13.6%	26	33.0	16.7	24.0	30.8	22.6	33.7	31.9	$20,826
Ruth Chaffee School	Public	PK, KG-4	160 Superior Avenue	Newington	06111	Capitol Planning Region	Newington School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 666-4687	317	25	12.8	30.9%	186 (58.7%)	15 (4.7%)	63 (19.9%)	37 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.0%)	62.2	211^th of 491 public elementary schools	57.0%		60.7	211^th of 493 public elementary schools	57.2%			59.7	56.9		69.4	50.0		$22,504
Gaffney Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	322 Slater Rd.	New Britain	06053	Capitol Planning Region	New Britain School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 225-6247	438	31	14.2	71.7%	72 (16.4%)	62 (14.2%)	264 (60.3%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.5%)	9.6	435^th of 491 public elementary schools	11.4%		9.5	436^th of 493 public elementary schools	11.6%	1		20.6	27.7	28.0	19.0	26.2	16.0	$24,589

Frequently Asked Questions about Smith Elementary School

How many students attend Smith Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 461 students attended Smith Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Smith Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Smith Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy
High : New Britain High School

What is the racial makeup of Smith Elementary School?

Students at Smith Elementary School are 68% Hispanic, 13% White, 10% African American, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Smith Elementary School a good school?

Smith Elementary School ranks in the bottom 15.9% of Connecticut elementary schools.

What district is Smith Elementary School in?

New Britain School District

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Latest Connecticut data All new data »

2024–25 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewAug 31, 2026

2025–26 NGSS, SAT & SBAC test scoresNewAug 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.