Stratford High School

Stratford High School is the larger of two comprehensive high schools in Stratford, CT, serving about 1,150 students in grades 9–12 within a district ranked near the bottom statewide. The school has a diverse, economically mixed student body (about 51.5% eligible for free/reduced lunch) and a graduation rate of 93.4%, above the state average, but its biggest red flag is chronic absenteeism: 30.7% of students miss enough school to be considered chronically absent, roughly double the state rate and much higher than Bunnell High School (23.6%) in the same district.

Academically, math is the weakest subject by far: only 11.2% of students scored proficient on the SAT math section, less than half the state average and far below Bridgeport magnet schools like Information Technology & Software Engineering Magnet High School (30.9%), even though those schools serve higher-poverty populations. Science tells a different story: Stratford's NGSS science proficiency (39.6% in 2025–2026) beats most nearby schools and nearly matches the state average, suggesting a targeted weakness in math rather than a schoolwide academic failure. Spending per student ($18,208) is higher than many area schools, but outcomes have been volatile—state percentile rankings have swung between the 17th and 58th percentiles over the past decade.

For parents, the key takeaway is that Stratford has some real strengths and some urgent challenges. The school is comparatively effective for African American students, ranking in the 83rd percentile statewide in 2023–2024, while low-income, disabled, and male students see much weaker results relative to peers. Graduation rates are solid and even improved after a dip to 86.3% in 2022–2023, but chronic absenteeism remains high enough to undermine sustained progress. If your child struggles with math or attendance, Stratford will require extra monitoring; if they excel in science, they'll find a subject where the school genuinely holds its own.