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B. W. Tinker School

Public Grades PK, KG-5
420th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 493 Connecticut Elementary Schools
Better than 15% of Connecticut elementary schools
Summary

B. W. Tinker School is an elementary school located in Waterbury, Connecticut, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 578. The school is part of the Waterbury School District, which is ranked 149 out of 156 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

B. W. Tinker School consistently performs below the Waterbury School District and Connecticut state averages on standardized tests. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 24.7% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 46.9% statewide. The school also has high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 17.7% to 31.2% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, 76.47% of students at B. W. Tinker School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high percentage of students from low-income families.

The challenges faced by B. W. Tinker School are not unique, as the nearby schools in the Waterbury School District, such as Walsh School, Driggs School, and Wendell L. Cross School, also perform poorly on standardized tests and have high rates of chronic absenteeism and free/reduced-price lunch eligibility. The only nearby school that stands out as a relative high performer is Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School, a public magnet school with proficiency rates in ELA and math that are nearly double the district and state averages.

578
Students ?
15.9
Student/teacher ratio ?
$16,775
Per pupil spending ?
74.7%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 809 Highland Ave.
       Waterbury, CT  06708

(203) 574-8186

District: Waterbury School District


Students who attend B. W. Tinker School usually attend:

Middle:    West Side Middle School
High:    John F. Kennedy High School
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
63.7%
African American:
17.0%
White:
12.6%
more
 See top rated Connecticut elementary schools

 Compare B. W. Tinker School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Rebounding — 6th percentile in 2022 → 15th in 2025
Strengths
Ranking is rebounding — up to 15th (2025) from a 6th-percentile low (2022)
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Connecticut average (25% vs 50% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)
!High chronic absenteeism (26% vs 17% Connecticut)
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school25%
District avg25%
Connecticut avg50%
420th of 493
Connecticut public elementary schools ?
Bottom 15%▼ down 10 pts since 2015
From bottom 25% (2015) to bottom 15% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
10th of 20Elementary Schools in the Waterbury School District
149th of 156Waterbury 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202511.8420 of 49314.8%★☆☆☆☆
202413.8407 of 49718.1%★☆☆☆☆
20239.4435 of 49111.4%★☆☆☆☆
20226.8461 of 4905.9%☆☆☆☆☆
202112.1460 of 53814.5%★☆☆☆☆
201911.0456 of 52212.6%★☆☆☆☆
201817.0437 of 53217.9%★☆☆☆☆
201719.5400 of 51922.9%★☆☆☆☆
201620.8402 of 51822.4%★☆☆☆☆
201526.8416 of 55124.5%★☆☆☆☆
201343.5384 of 55731.1%★★☆☆☆
201238.0424 of 56424.8%★☆☆☆☆
201151.6359 of 56536.5%★★☆☆☆
201040.9420 of 57927.5%★☆☆☆☆
200935.8440 of 56622.3%★☆☆☆☆
200833.8435 of 56523.0%★☆☆☆☆
200734.7439 of 56822.7%★☆☆☆☆
200638.9410 of 57028.1%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
20256.1220 of 2325.2%☆☆☆☆☆
20247.6221 of 2376.8%☆☆☆☆☆
20234.0227 of 2301.3%☆☆☆☆☆
20219.3406 of 45510.8%★☆☆☆☆
20194.9233 of 2423.7%☆☆☆☆☆
201816.0225 of 25913.1%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202532.887 of 13234.1%★★☆☆☆
202437.668 of 11138.7%★★☆☆☆
202323.492 of 10814.8%★☆☆☆☆
202223.584 of 9915.2%★☆☆☆☆
202136.8103 of 17340.5%★★☆☆☆
201927.583 of 11225.9%★☆☆☆☆
201832.174 of 10126.7%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202128.2215 of 30228.8%★☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
20255.6232 of 2392.9%☆☆☆☆☆
20246.6224 of 2333.9%☆☆☆☆☆
20233.6230 of 2310.4%☆☆☆☆☆
202110.0393 of 44511.7%★☆☆☆☆
20197.3233 of 2475.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20185.6252 of 2623.8%☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202124.0283 of 37123.7%★☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
20182.0296 of 2960.0%☆☆☆☆☆
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)
Hispanic (2025)34th percentile+19 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2021)29th percentile+14 vs school
Special Education (2021)24th percentile+9 vs school
Female (2025)5th percentile-10 vs school
Male (2025)3rd percentile-12 vs school
White (2018)<1st percentile-18 vs school
By subject vs Connecticut (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts27%-23 vs state
Mathematics22%-27 vs state

5.0
1 rating · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a student
Saturday, March 13, 2021

Open Quote Weirdly enough I had a dream about my time in BW tinker school when I was in first and second grade. Honestly it was the best school I ever went to, the student to teacher ratio was fantastic and the environment was friendly and the teachers took their job seriously, and learning standards were very high. I still remember my first grade teachers name and the room that we were in as well as my second grade teacher. Very few schools have left a positive mark on me like BW Tinker School. My time there was almost 20 years ago, but I still have incredibly fond memories of it. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about B. W. Tinker School

In the 2024-25 school year, 578 students attended B. W. Tinker School.

Students who attend B. W. Tinker School usually go on to attend:

Middle : West Side Middle School
High : John F. Kennedy High School

Students at B. W. Tinker School are 64% Hispanic, 17% African American, 13% White, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

B. W. Tinker School ranks in the bottom 14.8% of Connecticut elementary schools.


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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.





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