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Waterford High School

Public Grades 9-12
37th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 135 Connecticut High Schools
Better than 73% of Connecticut high schools
Summary

Waterford High School is a public high school in Waterford, CT, serving 713 students in grades 9–12 as part of the Waterford School District. While the district ranks in the middle tier of Connecticut districts, the high school is a clear standout: it is ranked 37th out of 133 Connecticut high schools, a 4-star rating placing it in the 72nd percentile. Waterford exceeds state averages on all three 11th-grade assessments—67.1% proficient in English Language Arts versus 55.3% statewide, 46.8% in math versus 31.3% statewide, and 57.1% in science versus 50.5% statewide. The graduation rate is a solid 94.3%, above the state average of 91.2%.

Math is a distinctive strength. Waterford's math proficiency nearly matches East Lyme High School's 46.9% despite East Lyme ranking much higher overall, and Waterford far outpaces Ledyard High School (28.7%), Robert E. Fitch High School (33.3%), and Ella T. Grasso Technical High School (9.1%). Science is more mixed: Waterford's 57.1% beats Montville High School (49.0%) and New London High School (15.8%), but trails East Lyme (80.5%), Ledyard (62.7%), and Fitch (57.7%). About 30.6% of Waterford students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a middle ground economically—higher than East Lyme (24.3%) and Lyme-Old Lyme High School (12.8%), but well below Montville (43.0%) and Fitch (60.0%).

Waterford's biggest challenges are chronic absenteeism and a recent performance dip. The chronic absenteeism rate of 17.1% is above the state average of 16.4% and higher than the district-wide rate of 10.8%, suggesting attendance is more of an issue at the high school than in Waterford's elementary and middle schools. East Lyme does better at 12.8%, though Ledyard (23.7%), Montville (25.3%), and Fitch (25.4%) struggle more. The school's ranking has slipped from 21st in 2023–2024 to 37th for 2025–2026, coinciding with a sharp one-year drop in test scores. Per-pupil spending is relatively high at $20,277, above most nearby districts, though several lower-spending schools like East Lyme achieve stronger overall results.

713
Students ?
11.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$29,429
Per pupil spending ?
30.6%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 20 Rope Ferry Rd.
       Waterford, CT  06385

(860) 437-6956

District: Waterford School District


Feeder schools for Waterford High School:

Elementary:    Great Neck Elementary School
    Oswegatchie Elementary School
    Quaker Hill Elementary School
Middle:    Clark Lane Middle School
Racial breakdown:

White:
73.6%
Hispanic:
11.2%
Two or more races:
6.5%
more
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At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 76th percentile in 2015 → 73rd in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Connecticut average (57% vs 46% meeting standards)
✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the Connecticut average (91%)
✓Above the Connecticut median (73rd percentile)
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 avg46%
37th of 135
Connecticut public high schools ?
Top 27%▲ up 7 pts since 2016
From top 35% (2016) to top 27% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Connecticut High Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
79th of 153Waterford 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
202672.437 of 13572.6%★★★★☆
202580.729 of 14179.4%★★★★☆
202484.721 of 14585.5%★★★★☆
202379.329 of 14279.6%★★★★☆
202267.050 of 13964.0%★★★☆☆
202171.366 of 20067.0%★★★☆☆
201972.045 of 12162.8%★★★☆☆
201873.041 of 12166.1%★★★☆☆
201669.746 of 13265.2%★★★☆☆
201573.548 of 19675.5%★★★★☆
201378.134 of 19382.4%★★★★☆
201277.836 of 18880.9%★★★★☆
201174.850 of 18973.5%★★★★☆
201066.183 of 18655.4%★★★☆☆
200967.766 of 17662.5%★★★☆☆
200871.360 of 17665.9%★★★☆☆
200775.342 of 17676.1%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202663.649 of 11155.9%★★★☆☆
202580.326 of 10475.0%★★★★☆
202379.226 of 10374.8%★★★★☆
202267.143 of 10659.4%★★★☆☆
202168.868 of 18964.0%★★★☆☆
201968.539 of 8453.6%★★★☆☆
201860.651 of 7935.4%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202182.319 of 10481.7%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202261.218 of 6371.4%★★★★☆
202151.868 of 15556.1%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202659.852 of 11554.8%★★★☆☆
202570.640 of 11164.0%★★★☆☆
202361.445 of 10055.0%★★★☆☆
202256.353 of 10248.0%★★☆☆☆
202168.665 of 18264.3%★★★☆☆
201870.136 of 7853.8%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202149.086 of 17550.9%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202634.876 of 10729.0%★★☆☆☆
202568.836 of 11669.0%★★★★☆
202472.126 of 11677.6%★★★★☆
202360.148 of 11658.6%★★★☆☆
202247.065 of 11744.4%★★☆☆☆
202157.169 of 15555.5%★★★☆☆
201946.073 of 11335.4%★★☆☆☆
201860.044 of 10558.1%★★★☆☆
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 (2021)82nd percentile+15 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2022)71st percentile+7 vs school
Female (2026)56th percentile-17 vs school
Male (2026)55th percentile-18 vs school
Special Education (2021)51st percentile-16 vs school
White (2026)29th percentile-44 vs school
By subject vs Connecticut (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts67%+12 vs state
Science57%+7 vs state
Math47%+15 vs state

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What people are saying
by a student
Saturday, October 23, 2010

Open Quote Now that I am in college I realize how much being a student at Waterford High School has helped. The school truely teaches and prepares you for college and/or the real world. Close Quote




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Frequently Asked Questions about Waterford High School

Waterford High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Great Neck Elementary School
Elementary : Oswegatchie Elementary School
Elementary : Quaker Hill Elementary School
Middle : Clark Lane Middle School

Students at Waterford High School are 74% White, 11% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 6% Asian, 2% African American.

In the 2024-25 school year, 713 students attended Waterford High School.

Waterford High School ranks 37th of 135 Connecticut high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

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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.

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