Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Alma E. Pagels School

Q: Is Alma E. Pagels School a good school?

Alma E. Pagels School ranks 346 th of 493 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

346^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 493 Connecticut Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of Connecticut elementary schools

Summary

Alma E. Pagels School is an elementary school serving grades PK-4 in West Haven, Connecticut, part of the West Haven School District. With 363 students, the school faces several challenges, including low academic achievement, high chronic absenteeism, and a socioeconomically disadvantaged student population.

Academically, Alma E. Pagels School has consistently underperformed compared to the district and state averages in standardized test scores for English Language Arts and Mathematics. For example, in 2024-2025, only 33.8% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 38.1% for the district and 46.9% for the state. The school's 4th grade math proficiency rate of 57.7% also lags behind the district's 49.5% and the state's 51.4%. Additionally, Alma E. Pagels has had high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 17.7% to 27.0% in recent years, significantly higher than the state average.

When comparing Alma E. Pagels School to other elementary schools in the West Haven district, it performs worse academically than Edith E. Mackrille School, which is ranked much higher (4-5 stars) and has significantly higher proficiency rates in ELA and Math. However, Alma E. Pagels performs better than Washington School, which is also a low-performing school in the district. Despite these challenges, the school performs relatively well for its special education and low-income student populations compared to other schools in the state.

364

Students ?

10.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,116

Per pupil spending ?

54.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

26 Benham Hill Rd.
West Haven, CT 06516

(203) 931-6840

District: West Haven School District

Students who attend Alma E. Pagels School usually attend:

Middle:	Carrigan 5/6 Intermediate School
	Harry M. Bailey Middle School
High:	West Haven High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

34.6%

White:

28.8%

African American:

25.5%

See top rated Connecticut elementary schools

Compare Alma E. Pagels School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 46th percentile in 2013 → 30th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Connecticut average (36% vs 50% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2013

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg44%

Connecticut avg50%

346^th of 493

Connecticut public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 38% (2015) to bottom 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Elementary Schools in the West Haven School District

119^th of 156West Haven 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
2025	24.2	346 of 493	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.5	230 of 497	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.9	317 of 491	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.2	319 of 490	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.3	317 of 538	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.1	341 of 522	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.7	265 of 532	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	57.8	231 of 518	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	42.5	340 of 551	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	58.3	303 of 557	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.0	397 of 564	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	44.6	396 of 565	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	57.1	331 of 579	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	52.1	361 of 566	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	47.2	375 of 565	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	45.6	390 of 568	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	53.9	343 of 570	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2023	13.0	202 of 230	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.5	290 of 455	36.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	61.9	90 of 302	70.2%	★★★★☆
2019	41.9	35 of 60	41.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2023	31.7	162 of 231	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.1	271 of 445	39.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	54.1	154 of 371	58.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)70th percentile+29 vs school

Special Education (2021)58th percentile+17 vs school

Male (2023)30th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2023)12th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics38%-14 vs state

English Language Arts34%-15 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Alma E. Pagels School and help other families decide.

Rate Alma E. Pagels School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Alma E. Pagels School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NGSS Science (2025)	SBAC English Language Arts (2025)			SBAC Mathematics (2025)				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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NGSS Science 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	Total
Alma E. Pagels School	Public	PK, KG-4	26 Benham Hill Rd.	West Haven	06516	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	West Haven School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 931-6840	364	33	10.9	54.4%	105 (28.8%)	93 (25.5%)	126 (34.6%)	28 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.0%)	24.2	346^th of 493 public elementary schools	29.8%		54.5	230^th of 497 public elementary schools	53.7%	116		33.8	65.4		38.0	57.7			$17,116
Seth G. Haley School	Public	PK, KG-4	148 South St.	West Haven	06516	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	West Haven School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 931-6810	332	36	9.3	52.4%	111 (33.4%)	74 (22.3%)	110 (33.1%)	12 (3.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (7.2%)	46.3	259^th of 493 public elementary schools	47.5%		26.6	345^th of 497 public elementary schools	30.6%	86		46.4	51.6		44.9	59.0			$20,236
Live Oaks School	Public	PK, KG-5	575 Merwin Ave.	Milford	06460	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	Milford School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 783-3564	272	26	10.2	30.5%	192 (70.6%)	6 (2.2%)	32 (11.8%)	24 (8.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.6%)	69.7	174^th of 493 public elementary schools	64.7%		49.8	249^th of 497 public elementary schools	49.9%	75		50.0	63.3	52.6	86.8	76.7	63.2		$25,026
Edith E. Mackrille School	Public	PK, KG-4	806 Jones Hill Rd.	West Haven	06516	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	West Haven School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 931-6820	320	26	12.3	58.8%	103 (32.2%)	75 (23.4%)	107 (33.4%)	24 (7.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.1%)	75.2	146^th of 493 public elementary schools	70.4%		70.6	167^th of 497 public elementary schools	66.4%	21			61.3		71.0	75.8			$17,524
Washington School	Public	PK, KG-4	255 Meloy Road	West Haven	06516	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	West Haven School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 931-6880	321	34	9.4	67.3%	71 (22.1%)	54 (16.8%)	148 (46.1%)	21 (6.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.1%)								(n/a)			37.7			37.7			$19,340
Orchard Hills School	Public	PK, KG-5	185 Marino Dr.	Milford	06460	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	Milford School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 783-3566	350	32	11.0	23.1%	259 (74.0%)	15 (4.3%)	41 (11.7%)	15 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.7%)	68	184^th of 493 public elementary schools	62.7%		30.3	324^th of 497 public elementary schools	34.8%	140	67.3	64.7	57.7	72.7	72.5	57.7	45.5		$24,094
Savin Rock Community School	Public	PK, KG-4	50 Park St.	West Haven	06516	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	West Haven School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 931-6850	459	40	11.4	70.8%	88 (19.2%)	107 (23.3%)	197 (42.9%)	42 (9.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.0%)	27.6	335^th of 493 public elementary schools	32.0%		26.3	347^th of 497 public elementary schools	30.2%	12		37.5	36.1		39.8	43.3			$18,352
Peck Place School	Public	1-6	500 Peck Ln.	Orange	06477	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	Orange School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 891-8034	386	33	11.6	14.2%	269 (69.7%)	4 (1.0%)	32 (8.3%)	53 (13.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.3%)	78	122^nd of 493 public elementary schools	75.3%		80.5	109^th of 497 public elementary schools	78.1%	13	80.9	55.9	74.6	80.9	61.8	72.9	57.4	69.8	$19,611
Calf Pen Meadow School	Public	K-5	395 Welch's Point Rd.	Milford	06460	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	Milford School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 783-3521	269	25	10.9	21.9%	199 (74.0%)	10 (3.7%)	33 (12.3%)	11 (4.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.6%)	79.7	112^th of 493 public elementary schools	77.3%		71	164^th of 497 public elementary schools	67.0%	52		72.1	67.9		74.4	73.6	61.0		$25,439
Mary L. Tracy School	Public	PK-K	650 School House Lane	Orange	06477	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	Orange School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 891-8028	195	15	13.3	11.8%	134 (68.7%)	7 (3.6%)	24 (12.3%)	23 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.6%)								(n/a)									$20,557

Frequently Asked Questions about Alma E. Pagels School

What is the racial makeup of Alma E. Pagels School?

Students at Alma E. Pagels School are 35% Hispanic, 29% White, 26% African American, 8% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Alma E. Pagels School attend?

Students who attend Alma E. Pagels School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Carrigan 5/6 Intermediate School
Middle : Harry M. Bailey Middle School
High : West Haven High School

Is Alma E. Pagels School a good school?

Alma E. Pagels School ranks 346^th of 493 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Alma E. Pagels School in?

West Haven School District

How many students attend Alma E. Pagels School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 364 students attended Alma E. Pagels School.

Rate Alma E. Pagels School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CTConnecticut Elementary School Rankings

CTConnecticut District Rankings

Schools in West Haven, CT

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Alma E. Pagels School!

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.