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Nichols School

Public Grades K-6

380^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 492 Connecticut Elementary Schools

Better than 23% of Connecticut elementary schools

Summary

Nichols School is a K-6 elementary school in Stratford, CT, serving 418 students as part of the Stratford School District. The school's most notable strength is its attendance: chronic absenteeism has fallen dramatically from 18% in 2021-2022 to just 7.4% in 2025-2026 — far better than the district average of 17.1% and the state average of 16.4%. This puts Nichols well ahead of nearby schools like Johnson House Elementary School (21.8%) and Hall School (33.1%), making it one of the clearest attendance success stories in the area.

Academically, however, Nichols remains below state averages in most subjects. Its statewide percentile of 23 places it in the bottom quarter of Connecticut elementary schools with a 1-star rating. Within Stratford, it sits near the bottom alongside Franklin School, while Eli Whitney School — less than two miles away — posts far stronger results, including a 55th-percentile ranking and dramatically higher proficiency in math and reading. Notably, Nichols' Hispanic students earn a 3-star rating and rank in the 53rd percentile statewide, a genuine bright spot. Performance also swings sharply by grade level: 4th and 5th grade math match district averages, while 3rd and 6th grade math lag significantly.

The central puzzle at Nichols is that its impressive attendance gains and strong outcomes for Hispanic students have not lifted overall achievement. The school has hovered in the 21st–30th percentile for nearly a decade, suggesting a flat long-term trajectory. Compared to nearby Bridgeport School District schools like Edison School, which face much higher poverty and chronic absenteeism, Nichols clearly outperforms. But Multicultural Magnet School shows that high poverty need not determine low achievement, posting far stronger test scores despite a nearly 90% poverty rate. For parents, Nichols offers a stable environment with excellent and improving attendance, but academic results remain inconsistent — the clearest opportunity for the school is to figure out what works for its Hispanic students and scale those practices across the entire building.

418

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,600

Per pupil spending ?

49.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

396 Nichols Avenue
Stratford, CT 06614

(203) 385-4294

District: Stratford School District

Students who attend Nichols School usually attend:

Middle:	David Wooster Middle School
High:	Stratford High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.0%

African American:

25.8%

White:

18.2%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 22nd percentile in 2016 → 23rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Connecticut average (31% vs 50% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!Mathematics scores 19 pts below the Connecticut average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school31%

District avg35%

Connecticut avg50%

380^th of 492

Connecticut public elementary schools ?

Bottom 23%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Stratford School District

139^th of 153Stratford 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	18.8	380 of 492	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.6	391 of 493	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.6	374 of 497	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.6	350 of 491	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.9	341 of 490	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.5	374 of 538	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.9	400 of 522	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.6	404 of 532	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.4	410 of 519	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	20.0	404 of 518	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.7	435 of 551	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	47.9	360 of 557	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	57.2	323 of 564	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	55.3	333 of 565	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	57.6	326 of 579	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	51.9	362 of 566	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	59.5	313 of 565	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	55.3	337 of 568	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	57.6	319 of 570	44.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	12.1	197 of 228	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	6.8	219 of 232	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.9	203 of 237	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.5	169 of 230	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	186 of 234	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.0	324 of 455	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	43.7	58 of 130	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	34.8	82 of 132	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.6	61 of 111	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.0	33 of 108	69.4%	★★★★☆
2022	60.2	30 of 99	69.7%	★★★★☆
2021	52.9	68 of 173	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.0	44 of 112	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.5	57 of 101	43.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	26.1	60 of 70	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.0	57 of 70	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.4	51 of 72	29.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	57.7	104 of 302	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.5	44 of 60	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2023	18.2	191 of 231	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.3	179 of 232	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.3	336 of 445	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.5	209 of 247	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.5	229 of 262	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	46.5	188 of 371	49.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)55th percentile+33 vs school

Special Education (2021)49th percentile+19 vs school

Male (2023)17th percentile-11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)14th percentile-8 vs school

Female (2026)14th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts34%-17 vs state

Mathematics29%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Nichols 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 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th 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 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 8th Grade	Total
Nichols School	Public	K-6	396 Nichols Avenue	Stratford	06614	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Stratford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 385-4294	418	28	15.1	49.8%	76 (18.2%)	108 (25.8%)	213 (51.0%)	8 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.9%)	18.8	380^th of 492 public elementary schools	22.8%		16.6	391^st of 493 public elementary schools	20.7%	11	490.0		31.1	32.4	39.1	2492.0			31.1	30.4	28.3	26.8			$21,600
Franklin School	Public	K-6	1895 Barnum Avenue	Stratford	06615	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Stratford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 385-4190	246	20	12.1	61.0%	23 (9.3%)	88 (35.8%)	120 (48.8%)	7 (2.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.8%)	17.4	385^th of 492 public elementary schools	21.7%		20	367^th of 493 public elementary schools	25.6%	18	25.6		33.3	35.0	30.8	32.7			33.3	2449.0	23.1	23.6			$22,368
Wilcoxson School	Public	K-6	600 Wilcoxson Avenue	Stratford	06614	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Stratford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 385-4196	318	21	15.4	34.3%	142 (44.7%)	63 (19.8%)	92 (28.9%)	6 (1.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.1%)	37.8	300^th of 492 public elementary schools	39.0%		43.3	269^th of 493 public elementary schools	45.4%	31	34.0		47.1	32.0	48.9	54.1			47.1	30.0	2464.0	49.2			$21,538
Six-Six Magnet School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	601 Pearl Harbor St.	Bridgeport	06610	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Cooperative Educational Services	No	Yes	No	Yes	(203) 365-8200	441	43	10.2	44.7%	95 (21.5%)	101 (22.9%)	198 (44.9%)	27 (6.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.3%)	34.5	318^th of 492 public elementary schools	35.4%		26.7	339^th of 493 public elementary schools	31.2%	21	500.0	792.0	29.8	44.7	38.9	2522.0	2547.0	2536.0	44.7	40.4	41.7	52.5	31.0	33.3	$25,078
Second Hill Lane School	Public	K-6	65 Second Hill Lane	Stratford	06614	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Stratford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 385-4292	610	43	14.0	49.5%	136 (22.3%)	97 (15.9%)	333 (54.6%)	14 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.8%)	23.4	359^th of 492 public elementary schools	27.0%		22.9	353^rd of 493 public elementary schools	28.4%	6	39.2		28.8	26.3	35.1	38.1			45.0	22.8	35.1	34.5			$18,391
Multicultural Magnet School	Public, Magnet	K-8	700 Palisade Ave.	Bridgeport	06610	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Bridgeport School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(203) 576-7505	436	29	15.2	89.7%	50 (11.5%)	54 (12.4%)	313 (71.8%)	5 (1.1%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.5%)	37.6	303^rd of 492 public elementary schools	38.4%		35.3	303^rd of 493 public elementary schools	38.5%		47.6	54.5	20.8	27.9	52.4	76.6	2544.0	2554.0	22.9	30.2	31.0	70.2	34.0	22.7	$16,607
High Horizons Magnet School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	700 Palisade Ave.	Bridgeport	06610	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Bridgeport School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(203) 576-7807	443	26	17.0	86.7%	41 (9.3%)	148 (33.4%)	238 (53.7%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.3%)	9.4	438^th of 492 public elementary schools	11.0%		13.8	408^th of 493 public elementary schools	17.2%	30	489.0	26.1	12.8	16.7	41.3	17.8	48.9	2534.0	2374.0	12.5	2436.0	17.8	29.8	17.0	$16,560
Hall School	Public	PK, KG-6	290 Clermont Ave.	Bridgeport	06610	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Bridgeport School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 576-7560	162	16	10.1	92.0%	9 (5.6%)	59 (36.4%)	81 (50.0%)	3 (1.9%)	2 (1.2%)	1 (0.6%)	7 (4.3%)								(n/a)			2348.0	2381.0					2361.0	0.0					$21,083
Edison School	Public	PK, KG-6	115 Boston Terrace	Bridgeport	06610	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Bridgeport School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 576-7183	181	15	11.8	91.7%	8 (4.4%)	57 (31.5%)	97 (53.6%)	4 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	14 (7.7%)	4.7	484^th of 492 public elementary schools	1.6%					(n/a)	22.2		2334.0	2385.0	2413.0	0.0			2341.0	2393.0	2429.0	0.0			$19,435
Eli Whitney School	Public	K-6	1130 Huntington Road	Stratford	06615	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	Stratford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 385-4198	462	32	14.5	39.8%	161 (34.8%)	94 (20.3%)	173 (37.4%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.8%)	59.2	222^nd of 492 public elementary schools	54.9%		68.5	180^th of 493 public elementary schools	63.5%	42	495.0		46.4	49.3	60.0	75.4			63.8	52.2	45.0	64.9			$21,503

Frequently Asked Questions about Nichols School

Is Nichols School a good school?

Nichols School ranks in the bottom 22.8% of Connecticut elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Nichols School?

Students at Nichols School are 51% Hispanic, 26% African American, 18% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Nichols School attend?

Students who attend Nichols School usually go on to attend:

Middle : David Wooster Middle School
High : Stratford High School

What district is Nichols School in?

Stratford School District

How many students attend Nichols School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 418 students attended Nichols School.

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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.