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House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy

Public Grades 6-8

3^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 258 Connecticut Middle Schools

Better than 99% of Connecticut middle schools

Summary

House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy is a small public middle school in New Britain, CT, serving 152 students in grades 6–8 within a district that ranks near the bottom of Connecticut—yet it consistently ranks among the very best middle schools in the entire state. In 2025–26, HALS was ranked #3 out of 258 Connecticut middle schools (99th percentile, 5 stars), and over the past decade it has been ranked #1 in the state five times. This is especially remarkable because about 56% of its students qualify for free/reduced lunch, making its performance a dramatic exception to the usual relationship between poverty and test scores.

HALS far outperforms the other middle schools in its own New Britain School District: Pulaski Middle School ranks in the 1st percentile and Slade Middle School ranks in the 2nd. In 8th grade math, HALS posted 87.5% proficiency versus 15.0% at Pulaski and 11.7% at Slade—a gap of over 70 percentage points. HALS also beats wealthier suburban schools in the region, including Irving A. Robbins Middle School (65.7%), Albert D. Griswold Middle School (69.4%), Sedgwick Middle School (53.9%), and Cromwell Middle School (48.6%) in 8th grade math. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 13.3% is far below the district's 32.0% and even below the state average of 16.4%.

HALS achieves these results while spending less per student ($13,315 vs. $15,000–$18,500 at nearby schools) and maintaining a higher student–teacher ratio of 17.4. Its subgroup outcomes are equally impressive: Hispanic students, special education students, and low-income students have each ranked #1 in Connecticut in recent years. While the school's small size means test scores can fluctuate somewhat, its decade-long record, exceptional attendance, and consistent success with high-need populations make HALS one of Connecticut's most extraordinary middle schools.

152

Students ?

17.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,419

Per pupil spending ?

55.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

40 Goodwin St
New Britain, CT 06051

(860) 826-1866

District: New Britain School District

Students who attend House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy usually attend:

High:

New Britain High School

Feeder schools for House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy:

Elementary:	Chamberlain Elementary School
	DiLoreto Elementary & Middle School
	Gaffney Elementary School
	Holmes Elementary School
	More...
	Jefferson Elementary School
	Lincoln Elementary School
	Northend Elementary School
	Smalley Elementary School
	Smith Elementary School
	Vance Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.7%

White:

32.2%

African American:

11.8%

See top rated Connecticut middle schools

Compare House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 100th percentile in 2015 → 99th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Connecticut average (82% vs 48% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of Connecticut middle schools

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school82%

District avg17%

Connecticut avg48%

3^rd of 258

Connecticut public middle schools ?

Top 1%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Middle 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	95.8	3 of 258	98.8%	★★★★★
2025	94.4	8 of 252	96.8%	★★★★★
2023	97.1	1 of 249	99.6%	★★★★★
2022	96.6	1 of 250	99.6%	★★★★★
2021	92.7	12 of 275	95.6%	★★★★★
2019	97.3	1 of 259	99.6%	★★★★★
2018	96.9	1 of 249	99.6%	★★★★★
2017	93.9	3 of 250	98.8%	★★★★★
2016	92.0	4 of 246	98.4%	★★★★★
2015	96.1	1 of 280	99.6%	★★★★★
2013	85.5	1 of 278	99.6%	★★★★★
2012	82.7	3 of 272	98.9%	★★★★★
2011	85.4	1 of 269	99.6%	★★★★★
2010	86.8	1 of 268	99.6%	★★★★★
2009	85.8	2 of 255	99.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	85.3	18 of 164	89.0%	★★★★☆
2021	80.8	42 of 235	82.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2023	99.8	1 of 99	99.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	98.3	1 of 218	99.5%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	97.0	2 of 224	99.1%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	99.1	1 of 244	99.6%	★★★★★

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)

Special Education (2021)100th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)100th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2021)99th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2023)99th percentile~ school

Female (2025)89th percentile-8 vs school

★

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Schools Near House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy

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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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy	Public	6-8	40 Goodwin St	New Britain	06051	Capitol Planning Region	New Britain School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 826-1866	152	9	17.4	55.9%	49 (32.2%)	18 (11.8%)	74 (48.7%)	4 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.6%)	95.8	3^rd of 258 public middle schools	98.8%		94.4	8^th of 252 public middle schools	96.8%	5		822.0		2618.0	2637.0	2657.0		82.4	76.0	87.5	$16,419
John Wallace Middle School	Public	5-8	71 Halleran Drive	Newington	06111	Capitol Planning Region	Newington School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 667-5888	610	48	12.8	35.7%	328 (53.8%)	39 (6.4%)	154 (25.2%)	59 (9.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.8%)	58.8	105^th of 258 public middle schools	59.3%		63.4	93^rd of 252 public middle schools	63.1%	12	58.9	53.5	55.7	60.3	59.8	49.3	48.9	43.1	50.6	41.5	$21,892
Slade Middle School	Public	6-8	183 Steele St.	New Britain	06052	Capitol Planning Region	New Britain School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 225-6395	781	56	13.9	75.8%	82 (10.5%)	84 (10.8%)	570 (73.0%)	8 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (4.6%)	5.8	252^nd of 258 public middle schools	2.3%		4.2	250^th of 252 public middle schools	0.8%	2		9.9		15.9	18.4	11.5		8.8	6.6	11.7	$20,658
Pulaski Middle School	Public	6-8	757 Farmington Ave.	New Britain	06053	Capitol Planning Region	New Britain School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 225-7665	839	64	13.1	80.2%	129 (15.4%)	74 (8.8%)	564 (67.2%)	25 (3.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (5.4%)	4.7	255^th of 258 public middle schools	1.2%		3.1	252^nd of 252 public middle schools	0.0%	3		7.8		10.4	9.7	9.4		4.8	5.5	15.0	$19,934
Martin Kellogg Middle School	Public	5-8	155 Harding Avenue	Newington	06111	Capitol Planning Region	Newington School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 666-5418	567	48	11.9	40.9%	259 (45.7%)	38 (6.7%)	170 (30.0%)	71 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.1%)	53.2	120^th of 258 public middle schools	53.5%		57.4	105^th of 252 public middle schools	58.3%	15	46.3	48.9	41.8	49.3	43.7	48.9	31.3	46.9	52.8	48.1	$23,802
Catherine M. McGee Middle School	Public	6-8	899 Norton Rd.	Berlin	06037	Capitol Planning Region	Berlin School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 828-0323	595	52	11.3	22.4%	453 (76.1%)	13 (2.2%)	77 (12.9%)	33 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.2%)	74.5	68^th of 258 public middle schools	73.6%		75.2	62^nd of 252 public middle schools	75.4%	6		62.0		63.2	60.3	62.4		61.3	62.4	55.3	$22,470
Irving A. Robbins Middle School	Public	7-8	20 Wolf Pit Rd.	Farmington	06032	Capitol Planning Region	Farmington School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 677-2683	670	54	12.5	20.4%	334 (49.9%)	39 (5.8%)	79 (11.8%)	177 (26.4%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	37 (5.5%)	87.8	27^th of 258 public middle schools	89.5%		88.6	22^nd of 252 public middle schools	91.3%	5		76.7			73.6	75.2			67.7	65.7	$19,640
Albert D. Griswold Middle School	Public	6-8	144 Bailey Rd.	Rocky Hill	06067	Capitol Planning Region	Rocky Hill School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 258-7741	622	50	12.3	22.3%	288 (46.3%)	28 (4.5%)	71 (11.4%)	208 (33.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.0%)	85.8	34^th of 258 public middle schools	86.8%		86.4	26^th of 252 public middle schools	89.7%	8		74.0		67.2	73.7	80.3		58.6	69.5	69.4	$19,800
Silas Deane Middle School	Public	7-8	551 Silas Deane Hwy.	Wethersfield	06109	Capitol Planning Region	Wethersfield School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 571-8300	546	45	12.1	28.4%	332 (60.8%)	21 (3.8%)	134 (24.5%)	33 (6.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.4%)	61.7	97^th of 258 public middle schools	62.4%		62.8	94^th of 252 public middle schools	62.7%	3		56.9			61.0	56.5			50.6	39.9	$20,963
Cromwell Middle School	Public	6-8	6 Captain James Mann Memorial	Cromwell	06416	Capitol Planning Region	Cromwell School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 632-4853	448	43	10.5	28.8%	311 (69.4%)	23 (5.1%)	65 (14.5%)	22 (4.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.6%)	68.4	87^th of 258 public middle schools	66.3%		73	74^th of 252 public middle schools	70.6%	13		61.6		60.1	59.7	63.0		48.6	58.1	48.6	$21,266

Frequently Asked Questions about House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy

What district is House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy in?

New Britain School District

What high school do graduates of House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy attend?

Students who attend House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy usually go on to attend New Britain High School

How many students attend House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 152 students attended House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy.

What is the racial makeup of House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy?

Students at House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy are 49% Hispanic, 32% White, 12% African American, 5% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Is House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy a good school?

Yes! House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 3^rd of 258 Connecticut middle schools.

Rate House of Arts Letters and Science (HALS) Academy!

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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.