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Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy

Public Grades 6-8

193^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 252 Connecticut Middle Schools

Better than 23% of Connecticut middle schools

Summary

Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy is a public middle school located in Norwalk, Connecticut, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 622 students. The school is part of the Norwalk School District, which is ranked 118 out of 156 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy consistently ranks in the bottom half of Connecticut middle schools, typically ranking between 170-198 out of 250-280 schools. The school's proficiency rates in SBAC English Language Arts and Mathematics are significantly lower than the Norwalk School District and Connecticut state averages across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy's 6th-grade proficiency rates were 28.5% in ELA and 16.4% in Math, compared to the district's 42.2% and 34.1%, and the state's 50% and 42.9%, respectively. The school's performance in NGSS Science for 8th grade is also below the district and state averages.

Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy's student subgroups, such as female, male, African American, Hispanic, and low socioeconomic status students, consistently rank in the bottom half or bottom third of Connecticut middle schools in their respective categories. Additionally, the school has experienced high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 17.7% to 23.7% over the past few years, which are significantly higher than the desired benchmark. Compared to nearby middle schools within the Norwalk School District, such as Roton Middle School and West Rocks Middle School, Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy's academic performance lags behind, and when compared to middle schools in other nearby districts, such as Stamford and Wilton, Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy's performance is significantly lower.

637

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,725

Per pupil spending ?

62.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

21 Hunters Lane
Norwalk, CT 06850

(203) 847-3557

District: Norwalk School District

Students who attend Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy usually attend:

High:

Brien McMahon High School

Feeder schools for Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy:

Elementary:	Fox Run Elementary School
	Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School
	Kendall College & Career Academy

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

66.4%

African American:

15.7%

White:

9.7%

See top rated Connecticut middle schools

Compare Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 36th percentile in 2015 → 23rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Connecticut average (26% vs 47% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg40%

Connecticut avg47%

193^rd of 252

Connecticut public middle schools ?

Bottom 23%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 36% (2015) to bottom 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Middle Schools in the Norwalk School District

118^th of 156Norwalk 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	18.4	193 of 252	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.1	184 of 250	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.1	190 of 249	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.7	181 of 250	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.7	190 of 275	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.2	186 of 259	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	198 of 249	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.2	170 of 250	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	20.6	187 of 246	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	35.1	178 of 280	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	41.9	192 of 278	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	31.8	206 of 272	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.9	208 of 269	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	25.5	209 of 268	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	25.6	194 of 255	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	27.4	190 of 252	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.1	188 of 250	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	29.3	188 of 248	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	37.4	22 of 32	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.1	24 of 33	27.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.6	23 of 32	28.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.4	19 of 40	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.2	52 of 80	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.7	27 of 31	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	26.9	70 of 104	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	38.5	17 of 34	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	139 of 164	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.8	137 of 161	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.8	139 of 160	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.4	144 of 166	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.6	182 of 235	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.2	141 of 169	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.3	144 of 160	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	29.3	71 of 105	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.8	68 of 104	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.2	75 of 99	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.6	58 of 97	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.0	83 of 146	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.1	52 of 97	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.7	43 of 75	42.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	24.6	89 of 117	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.9	96 of 114	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.7	94 of 109	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.4	88 of 106	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.7	141 of 218	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.4	80 of 104	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	11.4	141 of 162	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.5	136 of 157	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.4	138 of 158	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.8	141 of 169	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.2	159 of 224	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.5	144 of 167	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.9	140 of 164	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	29.6	177 of 244	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	25.6	114 of 153	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.0	147 of 175	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.7	93 of 166	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.1	119 of 168	29.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2021)50th percentile+19 vs school

Disabled (2021)33rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)32nd percentile+9 vs school

African American (2025)31st percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2021)27th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)25th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)24th percentile~ school

Female (2025)15th percentile-8 vs school

Male (2025)13th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts31%-19 vs state

Science29%-22 vs state

Mathematics20%-22 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, September 13, 2018

Excelente school , love the teachers , they are very nice Close Quote

Schools Near Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy

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	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
Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy	Public	6-8	21 Hunters Lane	Norwalk	06850	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Norwalk School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 847-3557	637	53	12.0	62.5%	62 (9.7%)	100 (15.7%)	423 (66.4%)	30 (4.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.1%)	18.4	193^rd of 252 public middle schools	23.4%		19.1	184^th of 250 public middle schools	26.4%	9		28.8		28.5	35.1	30.4		16.4	24.6	18.6	$24,725
West Rocks Middle School	Public	6-8	81 West Rocks Road	Norwalk	06851	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Norwalk School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 899-2970	657	58	11.4	53.7%	114 (17.4%)	90 (13.7%)	413 (62.9%)	18 (2.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (3.0%)	43.4	134^th of 252 public middle schools	46.8%		30.2	154^th of 250 public middle schools	38.4%	20		50.2		47.0	39.6	51.1		34.8	37.1	36.5	$22,917
Saxe Middle School	Public	5-8	468 South Ave.	New Canaan	06840	Western Connecticut Planning Region	New Canaan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 594-4564	1,271	117	10.8		982 (77.3%)	16 (1.3%)	84 (6.6%)	106 (8.3%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	78 (6.1%)	96.9	1^st of 252 public middle schools	99.6%		96	3^rd of 250 public middle schools	98.8%	2	84.9	85.9	83.1	90.9	85.8	85.0	81.9	87.7	87.5	88.0	$26,835
Nathan Hale Middle School	Public	6-8	176 Strawberry Hill Avenue	Norwalk	06851	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Norwalk School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 899-2910	499	48	10.3	55.3%	116 (23.2%)	68 (13.6%)	279 (55.9%)	21 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.0%)	54.3	112^th of 252 public middle schools	55.6%		40.8	140^th of 250 public middle schools	44.0%	28		54.0		48.1	49.4	52.1		46.5	47.6	41.7	$25,236
Roton Middle School	Public	6-8	201 Highland Avenue	Norwalk	06853	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Norwalk School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 899-2930	463	41	11.2	54.4%	112 (24.2%)	50 (10.8%)	264 (57.0%)	13 (2.8%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (4.5%)	50.6	121^st of 252 public middle schools	52.0%		42.7	134^th of 250 public middle schools	46.4%	13		54.5		48.5	46.0	54.9		41.9	39.3	42.6	$25,040
Middlesex Middle School	Public	6-8	204 Hollow Tree Ridge Rd.	Darien	06820	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Darien School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 655-2518	1,043	105	9.9	1.6%	827 (79.3%)	9 (0.9%)	72 (6.9%)	79 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (5.3%)	95.3	6^th of 252 public middle schools	97.6%		95.4	4^th of 250 public middle schools	98.4%	2		82.8		82.8	84.2	86.0		80.5	84.5	78.1	$23,525
Dolan School	Public	6-8	51 Toms Rd.	Stamford	06906	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Stamford School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 977-4441	577	53	10.8	59.3%	100 (17.3%)	74 (12.8%)	362 (62.7%)	14 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.7%)	19.1	190^th of 252 public middle schools	24.6%		25.4	165^th of 250 public middle schools	34.0%	25		28.2		27.2	36.5	27.1		24.1	27.5	14.4	$22,999
Middlebrook School	Public	6-8	131 School Rd.	Wilton	06897	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Wilton School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 762-8388	852	76	11.2	7.7%	615 (72.2%)	6 (0.7%)	68 (8.0%)	104 (12.2%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (6.6%)	94.7	7^th of 252 public middle schools	97.2%		96.5	1^st of 250 public middle schools	99.6%	6		78.3		78.2	84.9	83.0		81.2	88.7	82.3	$24,936
Turn of River School	Public	6-8	117 Vine Rd.	Stamford	06905	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Stamford School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 977-4284	560	54	10.3	58.8%	125 (22.3%)	64 (11.4%)	324 (57.9%)	24 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	20 (3.6%)	17.3	195^th of 252 public middle schools	22.6%		16.5	193^rd of 250 public middle schools	22.8%	2		28.5		26.2	27.2	22.0		26.3	23.5	22.8	$24,465
Coleytown Middle School	Public	6-8	255 North Ave.	Westport	06880	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Westport School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 341-1610	484	47	10.2	2.5%	364 (75.2%)	11 (2.3%)	37 (7.6%)	32 (6.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (7.6%)	95.7	5^th of 252 public middle schools	98.0%		93.3	7^th of 250 public middle schools	97.2%	2		84.9		84.9	84.0	84.3		84.3	82.6	79.9	$27,339

Frequently Asked Questions about Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy

What district is Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy in?

Norwalk School District

What high school do graduates of Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy attend?

Students who attend Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy usually go on to attend Brien McMahon High School

Is Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy a good school?

Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy ranks in the bottom 23.4% of Connecticut middle schools.

How many students attend Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 637 students attended Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy?

Students at Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy are 66% Hispanic, 16% African American, 10% White, 5% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

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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.