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B. W. Tinker School

Q: Is B. W. Tinker School a good school?

B. W. Tinker School ranks in the bottom 18.9% of Connecticut elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend B. W. Tinker School?

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

Q: What is the racial makeup of B. W. Tinker School?

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

Q: What schools do graduates of B. W. Tinker School attend?

Students who attend B. W. Tinker School usually go on to attend: Middle : West Side Middle School High : John F. Kennedy High School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

399^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 492 Connecticut Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of Connecticut elementary schools

Summary

B.W. Tinker School is an elementary school in Waterbury, CT, serving 578 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 5 as part of the Waterbury School District. The school earns 1 star and ranks 399th of 491 elementary schools statewide (19th percentile), placing it among the stronger traditional neighborhood schools in the area—ahead of Walsh School, Driggs School, Hopeville School, Gilmartin School, Washington School, and Wendell L. Cross School, though it trails Duggan School, Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School, and Brass City Charter School.

Academically, Tinker outperforms the Waterbury School District average on most 2025-26 SBAC and NGSS assessments but remains well below Connecticut state proficiency rates. For example, 24.2% of 3rd graders met ELA proficiency targets versus 21.8% districtwide and 47.3% statewide, and 5th-grade science proficiency reached 36.6% versus 52.9% statewide. A notable bright spot: Hispanic students at Tinker rank 57th of 129 schools statewide (56th percentile, 3 stars)—far stronger than the school's overall ranking. However, a severe gender gap exists, with female students in the 16th percentile and male students in the 1st percentile statewide.

Chronic absenteeism is 25.7%, above the district (23.1%) and state (16.4%) rates, and dramatically higher than higher-performing neighbors like Maloney Interdistrict Magnet (6.2%) and Wendell L. Cross (12.4%). Tinker also has the lowest per-student spending ($14,013) and the highest student-teacher ratio (15.9) among nearby schools—yet it outperforms several schools that spend more and have smaller classes, suggesting the school is doing more with less. Since 2021-22, Tinker has climbed from the 6th to the 19th percentile statewide, making it a school with a modestly positive trajectory worth watching.

578

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,775

Per pupil spending ?

74.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

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%

See top rated Connecticut elementary schools

Compare B. W. Tinker School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 22nd percentile in 2016 → 19th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Connecticut average (29% vs 51% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (26% vs 16% Connecticut)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg27%

Connecticut avg51%

399^th of 492

Connecticut public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 3 pts since 2016

From bottom 22% (2016) to bottom 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 21Elementary Schools in the Waterbury School District

144^th of 153Waterbury 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	14.9	399 of 492	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.8	420 of 493	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	407 of 497	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.4	435 of 491	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	6.8	461 of 490	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.1	460 of 538	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.0	456 of 522	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.0	437 of 532	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	19.5	400 of 519	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	20.8	402 of 518	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	26.8	416 of 551	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	43.5	384 of 557	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	38.0	424 of 564	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	51.6	359 of 565	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	40.9	420 of 579	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	35.8	440 of 566	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	33.8	435 of 565	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	34.7	439 of 568	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	38.9	410 of 570	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	15.7	190 of 228	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	6.1	220 of 232	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.6	221 of 237	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.0	227 of 230	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.3	406 of 455	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	4.9	233 of 242	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.0	225 of 259	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	44.2	57 of 130	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	32.8	87 of 132	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.6	68 of 111	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.4	92 of 108	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	84 of 99	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.8	103 of 173	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.5	83 of 112	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.1	74 of 101	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	28.2	215 of 302	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	5.1	229 of 234	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.6	232 of 239	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.6	224 of 233	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.6	230 of 231	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.0	393 of 445	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.3	233 of 247	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.6	252 of 262	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	24.0	283 of 371	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2018	2.0	296 of 296	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)56th percentile+37 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)29th percentile+14 vs school

Special Education (2021)24th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)17th percentile~ school

Male (2026)2nd percentile-17 vs school

White (2018)<1st percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2025-2026) ?

Science37%-16 vs state

Mathematics28%-22 vs state

English Language Arts27%-24 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Saturday, March 13, 2021

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

Schools Near B. W. Tinker 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
B. W. Tinker School	Public	PK, KG-5	809 Highland Ave.	Waterbury	06708	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8186	578	36	15.9	74.7%	73 (12.6%)	98 (17.0%)	368 (63.7%)	10 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.8%)	14.9	399^th of 492 public elementary schools	18.9%		11.8	420^th of 493 public elementary schools	14.8%	21	36.6		24.2	27.4	28.4				30.3	28.4	24.5				$16,775
Duggan School	Public	PK, KG-8	952 Bank Street	Waterbury	06708	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8875	429	36	12.0	88.6%	26 (6.1%)	89 (20.7%)	284 (66.2%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.8%)	16.3	393^rd of 492 public elementary schools	20.1%		12.4	415^th of 493 public elementary schools	15.8%	22	33.3	27.0	14.0	2412.0	30.6	51.3	2519.0	27.0	20.9	20.0	16.7	2499.0	2473.0	2431.0	$19,075
Hopeville School	Public	PK, KG-5	2 Cypress St.	Waterbury	06706	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8173	291	28	10.3	82.8%	23 (7.9%)	66 (22.7%)	199 (68.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	6.4	466^th of 492 public elementary schools	5.3%		6.2	474^th of 493 public elementary schools	3.9%	8	20.9		12.0	24.5	18.2				16.0	16.3	16.3				$22,755
Washington School	Public	PK, KG-5	685 Baldwin St.	Waterbury	06706	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8177	284	23	12.1	80.3%	16 (5.6%)	42 (14.8%)	211 (74.3%)	2 (0.7%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.5%)	10.1	434^th of 492 public elementary schools	11.8%		9.4	438^th of 493 public elementary schools	11.2%	4	28.0		2349.0	25.0	21.6				2382.0	27.3	14.0				$17,640
Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	233 South Elm St.	Waterbury	06706	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(203) 574-8162	590	42	14.1	62.5%	134 (22.7%)	100 (16.9%)	315 (53.4%)	12 (2.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.6%)	38.6	294^th of 492 public elementary schools	40.2%		46.6	257^th of 493 public elementary schools	47.9%	37	54.7		40.2	46.6	51.2				39.1	43.2	41.9				$19,787
Gilmartin School	Public	PK, KG-8	107 Wyoming Ave.	Waterbury	06706	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8175	462	32	14.6	80.1%	26 (5.6%)	80 (17.3%)	316 (68.4%)	18 (3.9%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.7%)	7.6	454^th of 492 public elementary schools	7.7%		6.6	472^nd of 493 public elementary schools	4.3%	18	18.0	10.7	17.8	21.3	18.0	27.1	2482.0	2513.0	20.0	17.0	2411.0	2439.0	17.8	10.7	$18,581
Walsh School	Public	PK, KG-5	55 Dikeman Street	Waterbury	06704	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8164	350	28	12.3	86.6%	10 (2.9%)	66 (18.9%)	265 (75.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.6%)	5.4	475^th of 492 public elementary schools	3.5%		3.5	493^rd of 493 public elementary schools	0.0%	18	18.4		14.3	2360.0	21.1				16.3	2381.0	2420.0				$19,561
Driggs School	Public	PK, KG-5	77 Woodlawn Terrace	Waterbury	06710	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8160	410	29	13.9	84.4%	25 (6.1%)	99 (24.1%)	254 (62.0%)	6 (1.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.9%)	6.1	469^th of 492 public elementary schools	4.7%		4.4	487^th of 493 public elementary schools	1.2%	18	20.8		2343.0	2398.0	17.0				2363.0	17.1	11.3				$17,289
Brass City Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	289 Willow St.	Waterbury	06710	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Brass City Charter School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(203) 527-5942	401	28	14.2	70.1%	15 (3.7%)	132 (32.9%)	227 (56.6%)	6 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.2%)	42.5	274^th of 492 public elementary schools	44.3%		38.1	289^th of 493 public elementary schools	41.4%	15	494.0	22.5	38.5	52.5	68.3	2477.0	2544.0	2564.0	48.7	45.0	46.3	22.5	40.9	22.5	$16,205
Wendell L. Cross School	Public	PK, KG-8	1255 Hamilton Ave.	Waterbury	06706	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	Waterbury School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 574-8171	606	44	13.6	71.8%	92 (15.2%)	137 (22.6%)	323 (53.3%)	11 (1.8%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (6.6%)	13.7	404^th of 492 public elementary schools	17.9%		13.1	411^th of 493 public elementary schools	16.6%	7	26.2	14.1	36.2	31.6	23.0	21.4	2500.0	2503.0	29.8	28.9	18.0	2425.0	2446.0	2432.0	$16,695

Frequently Asked Questions about B. W. Tinker School

What district is B. W. Tinker School in?

Waterbury School District

Is B. W. Tinker School a good school?

B. W. Tinker School ranks in the bottom 18.9% of Connecticut elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of B. W. Tinker School?

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

What schools do graduates of B. W. Tinker School attend?

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

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

How many students attend B. W. Tinker School?

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

Rate B. W. Tinker 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.