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John Paterson School

Q: Is John Paterson School a good school?

John Paterson School ranks 256 th of 493 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

256^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 493 Connecticut Elementary Schools

Better than 48% of Connecticut elementary schools

Summary

John Paterson School is an elementary school in Newington, CT, serving 454 students in grades PK-4 as part of the Newington School District. The school has shown a mixed academic performance, with some areas of strength but also concerning trends that warrant further investigation.

While John Paterson School had significantly higher proficiency rates in ELA and math compared to the district and state averages in 2020-2021, its performance has since declined, with proficiency rates falling below the district and state in several grade levels and subject areas. The school has also experienced an increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 10.8% in 2021-2022 to 17.7% in 2023-2024, which is higher than the district's rate. Interestingly, the school's performance varies across different student subgroups, with Hispanic students performing relatively well but White and male students ranking in the bottom quartile of the state.

Comparing John Paterson School to nearby schools, Highcrest School in the Wethersfield School District and Ruth Chaffee School in the Newington School District have consistently outperformed John Paterson School in standardized test scores. In contrast, the elementary schools in the New Britain School District, which is ranked 155th out of 156 districts in Connecticut, have significantly lower proficiency rates compared to John Paterson School, particularly for economically disadvantaged and minority students.

394

Students ?

11.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,919

Per pupil spending ?

36%

Free/discounted lunch ?

120 Church Street
Newington, CT 06111

(860) 666-4657

District: Newington School District

Students who attend John Paterson School usually attend:

Middle:	John Wallace Middle School
High:	Newington High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.8%

Hispanic:

26.9%

Asian:

8.6%

See top rated Connecticut elementary schools

Compare John Paterson School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 58th percentile in 2015 → 48th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school51%

District avg53%

Connecticut avg50%

256^th of 493

Connecticut public elementary schools ?

Bottom 48%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From top 42% (2015) to bottom 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Elementary Schools in the Newington School District

93^rd of 156Newington 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	46.8	256 of 493	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.6	262 of 497	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.0	244 of 491	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.5	230 of 490	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	73.8	162 of 538	69.9%	★★★★☆
2019	52.3	254 of 522	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.0	221 of 532	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	60.2	220 of 519	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	70.8	175 of 518	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	63.5	232 of 551	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	78.9	107 of 557	80.8%	★★★★☆
2012	74.5	164 of 564	70.9%	★★★★☆
2011	76.5	140 of 565	75.2%	★★★★☆
2010	75.8	152 of 579	73.7%	★★★★☆
2009	73.1	188 of 566	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	65.1	260 of 565	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	59.5	303 of 568	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	64.2	274 of 570	51.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	65.5	166 of 455	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.8	133 of 259	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2023	64.8	25 of 108	76.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	77.6	44 of 302	85.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2023	24.6	173 of 231	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	69.5	144 of 445	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.6	134 of 262	48.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	71.7	76 of 371	79.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	33.9	190 of 248	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.8	179 of 250	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.3	177 of 262	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.7	203 of 252	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	61.9	134 of 327	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.4	206 of 296	30.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)85th percentile+16 vs school

Special Education (2021)80th percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2023)77th percentile+27 vs school

Female (2021)64th percentile-6 vs school

Male (2023)25th percentile-25 vs school

White (2025)23rd percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics54%~ state avg

English Language Arts48%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near John Paterson 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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	Total
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%)	46.8	256^th of 493 public elementary schools	48.1%		46.6	262^nd of 497 public elementary schools	47.3%	6		46.7	48.7			54.7	52.6			$21,919
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%)	4.6	484^th of 493 public elementary schools	1.8%		3.6	493^rd of 497 public elementary schools	0.8%	9	13.6	12.2		10.6		17.3	16.2			$21,263
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%)	9.6	435^th of 493 public elementary schools	11.8%		9	445^th of 497 public elementary schools	10.5%	10		14.3	18.9	33.3		19.5	17.8	27.1		$19,603
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%)	60.7	211^th of 493 public elementary schools	57.2%		81.2	101^st of 497 public elementary schools	79.7%	110		57.1	61.4			53.6	60.0			$22,504
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%)	4.6	485^th of 493 public elementary schools	1.6%		3.2	494^th of 497 public elementary schools	0.6%	9	17.4	8.4	19.5	14.3		7.4	19.5	10.9		$18,690
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%)	8.6	450^th of 493 public elementary schools	8.7%		10.2	437^th of 497 public elementary schools	12.1%	13	22.2	15.2				23.9	22.9			$21,949
Highcrest School	Public	PK, KG-6	95 Highcrest Rd.	Wethersfield	06109	Capitol Planning Region	Wethersfield School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 571-8380	429	30	14.3	18.9%	308 (71.8%)	13 (3.0%)	59 (13.8%)	23 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (5.8%)	73.7	153^rd of 493 public elementary schools	69.0%		71	165^th of 497 public elementary schools	66.8%	12	67.1	52.3	58.7	75.0	66.7	67.7		63.2	65.2	$20,135
West Hill School	Public	PK, KG-3	95 Cronin Dr.	Rocky Hill	06067	Capitol Planning Region	Rocky Hill School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 258-7761	392	36	11.0	17.3%	137 (34.9%)	22 (5.6%)	35 (8.9%)	185 (47.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.3%)								(n/a)		67.0				81.3				$23,813
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%)	9	444^th of 493 public elementary schools	9.9%		6.4	473^rd of 497 public elementary schools	4.8%	29	21.6	23.7	20.5	18.4		26.9	24.7	13.2		$18,612
Holmes Elementary School	Public	K-5	2150 Stanley St.	New Britain	06053	Capitol Planning Region	New Britain School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 223-8294	414	33	12.5	66.4%	88 (21.3%)	45 (10.9%)	212 (51.2%)	23 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (11.1%)	21.4	365^th of 493 public elementary schools	26.0%		15.5	394^th of 497 public elementary schools	20.7%	29			32.1			33.3	41.1			$19,318

Frequently Asked Questions about John Paterson School

Is John Paterson School a good school?

John Paterson School ranks 256^th of 493 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of John Paterson School?

Students at John Paterson School are 55% White, 27% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 6% African American, 4% Two or more races.

What district is John Paterson School in?

Newington School District

What schools do graduates of John Paterson School attend?

Students who attend John Paterson School usually go on to attend:

Middle : John Wallace Middle School
High : Newington High School

How many students attend John Paterson School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 394 students attended John Paterson 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.