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Forest School

Public Grades PK, KG-4
348th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 491 Connecticut Elementary Schools
Better than 29% of Connecticut elementary schools
Summary

Forest School is a pre-K through 4th grade elementary school in West Haven, CT, serving 428 students as part of the West Haven School District. A substantial majority of students (62.9%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school spends more per student than most nearby schools at $17,191 annually, with a favorable student-teacher ratio of 10.9.

Academically, Forest School sits below Connecticut state averages but typically outperforms neighboring New Haven elementary schools. In 2025–2026, 4th grade ELA proficiency at Forest was 43.7% versus the state's 50.9%, more than double Truman School (15.1%) and far above Augusta Lewis Troup School (20.5%) and Hill Central Music Academy (0%). Forest is comparable to West Haven's Washington School and far behind Race Brook School in Orange, 1.88 miles away, where proficiency reaches 65–70%. One bright spot: Hispanic students at Forest rank in the 74th percentile statewide with a 4-star rating, a dramatic contrast to the school's overall 29th percentile—a sign the school is serving this population well relative to others statewide.

Chronic absenteeism remains a challenge, with 26.4% of students missing substantial school in 2025–2026—roughly 10 points above the state average, though well below nearby New Haven School District schools like Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy for Global Awareness (40.6%). Test scores show mixed trends: 3rd grade ELA improved steadily from 23.0% to 33.8% over four years, while 4th grade scores have been more volatile. Forest's overall state rank has hovered in the low-to-mid 300s for a decade—no dramatic turnaround, but no sustained decline either. It remains a stable, mid-low-performing school in a high-poverty district, with promising results among Hispanic students and a clear indication that resources alone haven't closed the achievement gap.

428
Students ?
10.9
Student/teacher ratio ?
$23,065
Per pupil spending ?
62.9%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 95 Burwell Rd.
       West Haven, CT  06516

(203) 931-6800

District: West Haven School District


Students who attend Forest School usually attend:

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

Hispanic:
49.5%
African American:
28.0%
White:
14.7%
more
 See top rated Connecticut elementary schools

 Compare Forest School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 32nd percentile in 2016 → 29th in 2026
Strengths
Small classes — about 11 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Connecticut average (38% vs 51% meeting standards)
!High chronic absenteeism (26% vs 16% Connecticut)
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school38%
District avg43%
Connecticut avg51%
348th of 491
Connecticut public elementary schools ?
Bottom 29%▼ down 3 pts since 2016
See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
5th of 5Elementary Schools in the West Haven School District
119th of 153West 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202626.3348 of 49129.1%★☆☆☆☆
202518.3378 of 49323.3%★☆☆☆☆
202428.5334 of 49732.8%★★☆☆☆
202317.6376 of 49123.4%★☆☆☆☆
202217.3377 of 49023.1%★☆☆☆☆
202121.1415 of 53822.9%★☆☆☆☆
201924.6398 of 52223.8%★☆☆☆☆
201821.0413 of 53222.4%★☆☆☆☆
201740.3310 of 51940.3%★★☆☆☆
201630.7353 of 51831.9%★★☆☆☆
201538.8368 of 55133.2%★★☆☆☆
201315.2491 of 55711.8%★☆☆☆☆
201222.2472 of 56416.3%★☆☆☆☆
201136.1428 of 56524.2%★☆☆☆☆
201040.3424 of 57926.8%★☆☆☆☆
200943.0406 of 56628.3%★☆☆☆☆
200845.8383 of 56532.2%★★☆☆☆
200730.2450 of 56820.8%★☆☆☆☆
200634.3432 of 57024.2%★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202461.62 of 333.3%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202615.8183 of 22518.7%★☆☆☆☆
202311.0206 of 23010.4%★☆☆☆☆
202116.0372 of 45518.2%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202658.134 of 12973.6%★★★★☆
202537.575 of 13243.2%★★☆☆☆
202444.655 of 11150.5%★★★☆☆
202243.255 of 9944.4%★★☆☆☆
202159.158 of 17366.5%★★★☆☆
201855.543 of 10157.4%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202542.743 of 7744.2%★★☆☆☆
202147.1153 of 30249.3%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202612.9201 of 23213.4%★☆☆☆☆
202119.2352 of 44520.9%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankConnecticut percentileRating
202141.3219 of 37141.0%★★☆☆☆
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)74th percentile+45 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)44th percentile+21 vs school
Special Education (2021)41st percentile+18 vs school
English Language Learner (2024)33rd percentile~ school
Female (2026)19th percentile-10 vs school
Male (2026)13th percentile-16 vs school
By subject vs Connecticut (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts39%-10 vs state
Mathematics37%-16 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Forest School

In the 2024-25 school year, 428 students attended Forest School.

Forest School ranks 348th of 491 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Students at Forest School are 50% Hispanic, 28% African American, 15% White, 4% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

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Latest Connecticut data All new data »
2024–25 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewAug 31, 2026
2025–26 NGSS, SAT & SBAC test scoresNewAug 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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