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Frank Ward Strong School

Q: Is Frank Ward Strong School a good school?

Frank Ward Strong School ranks 84 th of 258 Connecticut middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

84^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 258 Connecticut Middle Schools

Better than 67% of Connecticut middle schools

Summary

Frank Ward Strong School is a small middle school in Durham, CT, serving 319 students in grades 5–8 as part of Regional School District 13. The school has been a consistently solid performer in Connecticut, ranking in the 67th percentile statewide in 2025-26, with English language arts as a clear strength — all grade levels beat the state average, and 7th graders were 20 points above the state in ELA. The school also has very low chronic absenteeism at just 8.2%, a favorable 10.4:1 student-teacher ratio, and among the highest per-pupil spending in the area at about $21,890 per student.

The biggest concern is math, particularly in 5th grade, where proficiency was 35.4% compared to 45.8% statewide. This is especially striking compared to nearby A. Baldwin Middle School in Guilford, which has a similar poverty rate but posted a 63.2% proficiency rate in 5th grade math. Strong also trails Brownstone Intermediate School in math despite beating it in ELA and science. There are also signs of grade-level falloff by 8th grade, with ELA dropping to 54% proficiency, below Haddam-Killingworth Middle School's 67.2%.

Encouragingly, Strong has improved its attendance dramatically over the past few years, and its math scores in grades 6–8 are above the state average. The school also compares favorably to Portland Middle School in some areas, though Portland matches or beats Strong in 7th and 8th grade ELA despite serving a less economically advantaged population. Historically, the school has been less effective for low-income students and students receiving special education services — an equity concern worth watching. With strong resources, low absenteeism, and small class sizes, Strong has the structural advantages needed to address its math gaps.

319

Students ?

10.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,964

Per pupil spending ?

17.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

191 Main Street
Durham, CT 06422

(860) 349-7222

District: Regional School District 13

Students who attend Frank Ward Strong School usually attend:

High:

Coginchaug Regional High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.2%

Hispanic:

8.2%

Two or more races:

3.8%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 67th percentile in 2016 → 67th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Connecticut average (57% vs 49% meeting standards)

✓Above the Connecticut median (67th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school57%

District avg56%

Connecticut avg49%

84^th of 258

Connecticut public middle schools ?

Top 33%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

76^th of 153Regional School District 13 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	68.5	84 of 258	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.4	70 of 252	72.2%	★★★★☆
2024	57.7	103 of 250	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.3	61 of 249	75.5%	★★★★☆
2022	73.2	70 of 250	72.0%	★★★★☆
2021	78.9	62 of 275	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	81.7	53 of 259	79.5%	★★★★☆
2018	73.8	72 of 249	71.1%	★★★★☆
2017	73.2	70 of 250	72.0%	★★★★☆
2016	68.5	80 of 246	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	73.8	81 of 280	71.1%	★★★★☆
2013	77.2	59 of 278	78.8%	★★★★☆
2012	75.1	73 of 272	73.2%	★★★★☆
2011	76.3	62 of 269	77.0%	★★★★☆
2010	76.1	69 of 268	74.3%	★★★★☆
2009	78.0	45 of 255	82.4%	★★★★☆
2008	77.5	43 of 252	82.9%	★★★★☆
2007	75.1	65 of 250	74.0%	★★★★☆
2006	77.4	49 of 248	80.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	54.0	42 of 104	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	66.4	60 of 164	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.6	63 of 164	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.6	90 of 161	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	66.1	58 of 160	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.7	53 of 166	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	77.7	51 of 235	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	77.0	34 of 169	79.9%	★★★★☆
2018	67.6	65 of 160	59.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	25.4	163 of 218	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	60.4	70 of 164	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.0	63 of 162	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.1	85 of 157	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	67.0	55 of 158	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.0	69 of 169	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.4	74 of 224	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.1	57 of 167	65.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	41.2	141 of 244	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	39.2	95 of 150	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.0	76 of 153	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	29.5	112 of 154	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	53.8	77 of 158	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.0	73 of 151	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.0	70 of 175	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.4	65 of 166	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.2	89 of 168	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Female (2026)63rd percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2021)60th percentile-18 vs school

Male (2026)57th percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2021)42nd percentile-35 vs school

White (2026)37th percentile-31 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)25th percentile-52 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2025-2026) ?

Science67%+15 vs state

English Language Arts65%+13 vs state

Mathematics46%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Frank Ward Strong 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	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
Frank Ward Strong School	Public	5-8	191 Main Street	Durham	06422	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Regional School District 13	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 349-7222	319	31	10.4	17.2%	275 (86.2%)	1 (0.3%)	26 (8.2%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.8%)	68.5	84^th of 258 public middle schools	67.4%		73.4	70^th of 252 public middle schools	72.2%	14	67.0	802.0	66.7	67.0	72.4	54.0	35.4	47.0	56.7	44.8	$26,964
Beman Middle School	Public	6-8	1 Wilderman's Way	Middletown	06457	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Middletown School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 347-8594	977	83	11.8	50.1%	371 (38.0%)	188 (19.2%)	266 (27.2%)	47 (4.8%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	101 (10.3%)	22.2	185^th of 258 public middle schools	28.3%		25	171^st of 252 public middle schools	32.1%	14		40.4		31.6	34.0	32.4		21.1	26.1	20.4	$23,394
Brownstone Intermediate School	Public	5-6	314 Main St.	Portland	06480	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Portland School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 342-6765	217	18	12.4	25.8%	154 (71.0%)	9 (4.1%)	41 (18.9%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.1%)								(n/a)	60.8		61.8	72.7			54.7	67.7			$19,849
Washington Middle School	Public	6-8	1225 North Broad St.	Meriden	06450	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Meriden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 235-6606	536	39	13.6	86.4%	97 (18.1%)	76 (14.2%)	331 (61.8%)	10 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.9%)	27.7	169^th of 258 public middle schools	34.5%		25.4	169^th of 252 public middle schools	32.9%			33.3		41.7	34.6	40.2		30.6	26.6	26.9	$17,920
Edison Middle School	Public	6-8	1355 North Broad Street	Meriden	06450	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Meriden School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 379-2590	773	54	14.2	74.5%	169 (21.9%)	92 (11.9%)	464 (60.0%)	11 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (4.7%)	57.4	110^th of 258 public middle schools	57.4%		57.7	103^rd of 252 public middle schools	59.1%	7		52.3		66.1	55.6	59.0		52.7	36.1	33.3	$15,764
Dag Hammarskjold Middle School	Public	6-8	106 Pond Hill Road	Wallingford	06492	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Wallingford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 294-3700	593	54	10.9	35.4%	396 (66.8%)	5 (0.8%)	132 (22.3%)	29 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.2%)	59.4	103^rd of 258 public middle schools	60.1%		51.2	120^th of 252 public middle schools	52.4%	17		64.4		55.9	57.1	54.6		41.0	42.9	46.4	$22,231
Portland Middle School	Public	7-8	93 High Street	Portland	06480	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Portland School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 342-1880	214	19	11.0	32.7%	140 (65.4%)	8 (3.7%)	50 (23.4%)	6 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.7%)	76	62^nd of 258 public middle schools	76.0%		68	83^rd of 252 public middle schools	67.1%	21		65.7			79.8	64.4			62.6	42.6	$17,801
James H. Moran Middle School	Public	6-8	141 Hope Hill Road	Wallingford	06492	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Wallingford School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 741-2900	531	55	9.6	34.7%	359 (67.6%)	9 (1.7%)	121 (22.8%)	26 (4.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.6%)	54.9	118^th of 258 public middle schools	54.3%		46.9	125^th of 252 public middle schools	50.4%	7		52.8		56.6	51.9	49.1		38.1	49.2	47.5	$22,396
Lincoln Middle School	Public	6-8	164 Centennial Ave.	Meriden	06450	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Meriden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 238-2381	684	45	15.0	78.5%	117 (17.1%)	62 (9.1%)	464 (67.8%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.1%)	37.3	149^th of 258 public middle schools	42.2%		30	159^th of 252 public middle schools	36.9%	10		36.0		47.3	39.8	42.7		43.3	36.1	30.2	$15,818
Haddam-Killingworth Middle School	Public	6-8	451 Route 81	Killingworth	06419	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Regional School District 17	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 663-1241	423	38	11.2	15.6%	376 (88.9%)	7 (1.7%)	21 (5.0%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.3%)	73.2	72^nd of 258 public middle schools	72.1%		84.6	33^rd of 252 public middle schools	86.9%	39		57.8		61.7	60.8	67.2		65.2	55.4	52.3	$27,462

Frequently Asked Questions about Frank Ward Strong School

What is the racial makeup of Frank Ward Strong School?

Students at Frank Ward Strong School are 86% White, 8% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

Is Frank Ward Strong School a good school?

Frank Ward Strong School ranks 84^th of 258 Connecticut middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Frank Ward Strong School in?

Regional School District 13

What high school do graduates of Frank Ward Strong School attend?

Students who attend Frank Ward Strong School usually go on to attend Coginchaug Regional High School

How many students attend Frank Ward Strong School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 319 students attended Frank Ward Strong School.

Rate Frank Ward Strong School!

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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.