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Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy

Q: Is Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy a good school?

Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy ranks 346 th of 492 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades K-8

346^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 492 Connecticut Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of Connecticut elementary schools

Summary

Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy is a K–8 school in North Windham, Connecticut, serving 535 students in the Windham School District, one of the lowest-performing districts in the state. Although classified as an elementary school, Barrows extends through middle school, setting it apart from neighboring Windham schools like W.B. Sweeney School, Natchaug School, and North Windham School, which serve only K–4. Barrows ranks in the 29th percentile statewide, dramatically above those schools, which land in the 8th–15th percentile range. About 48% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a much lower poverty rate than the other Windham K–4 schools (73%–84%) but higher than most surrounding districts.

Barrows posts proficiency rates well above district averages across nearly every grade and subject. In 2025–2026, ELA proficiency ranged from 20.3% in 3rd grade to 54.1% in 8th grade, while math ranged from 23.9% in 6th grade to 42.9% in 4th grade. Science is a clear strength: 68.3% of 5th graders and 59.0% of 8th graders scored proficient, both above state averages. But math remains a concern for a STEM academy, especially in middle school. The statewide rank dropped from the 47th percentile in 2024–2025 to the 29th percentile in 2025–2026, largely due to 3rd-grade ELA proficiency falling from 37.9% to 20.3%. Subgroup performance is encouraging: Hispanic students ranked in the 66th–67th percentile statewide, and low-income students in the 64th percentile, showing the school serves disadvantaged populations well.

One of Barrows' most impressive achievements is cutting chronic absenteeism from 30.9% in 2021–2022 to 12.2% in 2025–2026 — below the district average of 23.6% and the state average of 16.4%. Nearby Windham schools like W.B. Sweeney School (23.4%) and North Windham School (20.3%) still struggle by comparison. While Barrows trails more affluent schools like Horace W. Porter School, Mansfield Elementary School, and George Hersey Robertson School, those schools serve far fewer economically disadvantaged families. Given its demographics, approaching state averages in middle-grade ELA and exceeding them in science is a meaningful accomplishment. Barrows is the strongest academic environment in the Windham School District and a model of improvement.

535

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,568

Per pupil spending ?

48.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

141 Tuckie Road
North Windham, CT 06256

(860) 465-2610

District: Windham School District

Students who attend Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy usually attend:

Middle:	Windham Middle School
High:	Windham High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.8%

White:

44.1%

Two or more races:

3.9%

See top rated Connecticut elementary schools

Compare Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 51st percentile in 2016 → 30th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Connecticut average (40% vs 49% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 21 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg28%

Connecticut avg49%

Elementary school

346^th of 492

Connecticut public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From top 49% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

140^th of 258

Connecticut public middle schools ?

Bottom 46%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From top 50% (2016) to bottom 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Elementary Schools in the Windham School District

141^st of 153Windham 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	26.7	346 of 492	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	45.8	261 of 493	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.9	263 of 497	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.2	281 of 491	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.0	262 of 490	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.1	284 of 538	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.0	237 of 522	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.5	271 of 532	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	49.2	265 of 519	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	51.1	255 of 518	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	53.5	277 of 551	49.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2024	25.0	176 of 237	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	177 of 230	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.5	159 of 234	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.4	271 of 455	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.2	165 of 242	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.2	162 of 259	37.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	50.8	44 of 132	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.2	38 of 111	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.1	52 of 108	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.8	48 of 99	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.6	67 of 173	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.7	32 of 101	68.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	57.1	110 of 302	63.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2024	31.8	168 of 233	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.3	153 of 231	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.4	187 of 232	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	45.5	236 of 445	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	71.4	86 of 247	65.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	50.2	176 of 371	52.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	42.4	169 of 248	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.0	146 of 250	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.6	202 of 262	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.8	230 of 327	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.4	160 of 295	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.7	230 of 296	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	43.0	140 of 258	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.8	114 of 252	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.1	124 of 250	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.2	94 of 249	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.7	82 of 250	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.4	98 of 275	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.4	96 of 259	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.8	104 of 249	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	60.2	101 of 250	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.6	124 of 246	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	56.2	128 of 280	54.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	21.8	124 of 164	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.3	121 of 161	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	58.5	72 of 166	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.4	125 of 235	46.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	42.6	59 of 115	48.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.8	51 of 146	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	39.4	71 of 117	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	64.0	73 of 218	66.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2024	43.9	89 of 157	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	67.6	57 of 169	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.9	58 of 224	74.1%	★★★★☆
2019	72.8	58 of 167	65.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	61.2	84 of 244	65.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2024	52.7	79 of 154	48.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.1	32 of 158	79.7%	★★★★☆
2021	61.6	67 of 175	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.8	94 of 166	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.8	60 of 168	64.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Hispanic (2025)67th percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)64th percentile+16 vs school

Special Education (2021)53rd percentile+5 vs school

White (2025)32nd percentile-15 vs school

Male (2024)28th percentile-19 vs school

Female (2024)26th percentile-21 vs school

Middle school

Special Education (2021)66th percentile~ school

White (2024)49th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)49th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2024)43rd percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)39th percentile-15 vs school

Female (2026)24th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2025-2026) ?

Science59%+7 vs state

English Language Arts42%-9 vs state

Mathematics35%-12 vs state

2.6

5 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★1

4★1

3★0

2★1

1★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, June 24, 2019

Why can't they retain teachers? My student attended from 5th grade through 8th grade, during that time multiple teachers left with long-term subs filling in. The school is supposed to focus on STEM yet my daughter went without a science teacher for the larger part of an entire school year! Communication is poor at best and students are not being properly prepared for the rigors of high school. Well, high school outside the district. My A student at Barrows struggled with both Science and English for the first half of her freshmen year of high school. Don't be fooled - this school is no better than the rest of this failing district. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, October 16, 2017

DONT SEND YOUR KIDS HERE. Lots of discipline problems, that they do nothing about. All good teachers have left. My "A" presidential academic student at CHBSA moved back, after 8th grade, to our district high school. Even after taking advance classes at CHBSA, She was so far behind our district and is struggling a lot. Thanks god our district school is great about getting her back on track. All the cheating and fluffing of grades they do to make the school look better is not doing the kids any favor. All the magnet schools are a big joke and a waste of state money. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, November 14, 2016

As a parent of former students I can say very clearly this school is not capable of educating our children. The teachers and staff allow bullying and are themselves bullies. The curriculum is at best substandard. My children went on to another town and while they were in the accelerated classes in Barrows they are behind in other towns. They had missed so much in science and math they had a difficult time catching up to their peers. Science and math, 2 of the 4 main points in STEM, sad that they can't teach that to the standard of other local public schools.The atmosphere in this school is one of chaos and stress. Teachers are overly stressed, and they pass that stress on to the students. On numerous occasions my children would come home and talk about how stressed their teachers were and how the entire class was miserable because the teacher was stressing about one thing or another. Teacher turn over was extremely high while we were there and often left students with long term substitutes for large parts of the school year. Many wonderful teachers have come and gone over the years, but all the best have left for positions elsewhere, with the rare exception of 1 or 2 who stay and hold on to hope for a better tomorrow.
Barrows started out to be the shining star of Windham schools, but in the end it is turning out to just be another Windham school, and by that I mean a very low level of education provided. Children deserve a better education and not to be bullied by the very people set there to protect them. The difference in my children's attitude about school since leaving that toxic environment is night and day. Others have noticed it as well, the smile on their faces as they leave school at the end of the day now vs the beat down misery that they displayed at Barrows tells the entire story of Barrows. My experience and that of my children overwhelmingly disappointing and stressful. Close Quote

Schools Near Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy

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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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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
Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy	Public, Magnet	K-8	141 Tuckie Road	North Windham	06256	Capitol Planning Region	Windham School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(860) 465-2610	535	47	11.3	48.2%	236 (44.1%)	10 (1.9%)	261 (48.8%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.9%)	26.7	346^th of 492 public elementary schools	29.7%		45.8	261^st of 493 public elementary schools	47.1%	85	68.3	59.0	20.3	41.3	48.3	40.3	47.5	54.1	39.0	42.9	33.3	23.9	2520.0	34.4	$21,568
Natchaug School	Public	K-4	123 Jackson St.	Willimantic	06226	Capitol Planning Region	Windham School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 465-2380	234	23	10.1	72.6%	26 (11.1%)	12 (5.1%)	186 (79.5%)	5 (2.1%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.3%)	7.9	451^st of 492 public elementary schools	8.3%		10.8	427^th of 493 public elementary schools	13.4%	24			16.2	2375.0					24.3	18.8					$22,384
North Windham School	Public	K-4	112 Jordan Ln.	North Windham	06256	Capitol Planning Region	Windham School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 465-2400	445	37	12.0	80.2%	73 (16.4%)	13 (2.9%)	350 (78.7%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	12.2	415^th of 492 public elementary schools	15.7%		16.1	396^th of 493 public elementary schools	19.7%	19			15.6	29.9					17.0	38.8					$18,745
W. B. Sweeney School	Public	K-4	60 Oak Hill Dr.	Willimantic	06226	Capitol Planning Region	Windham School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 465-2420	212	21	10.0	84.4%	35 (16.5%)	11 (5.2%)	158 (74.5%)	3 (1.4%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)								(n/a)			2342.0	18.4					2374.0	18.9					$25,537
Mansfield Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	134 Warrenville Rd.	Mansfield Center	06250	Capitol Planning Region	Mansfield School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(860) 423-1611	549	46	11.9	32.4%	328 (59.7%)	17 (3.1%)	98 (17.9%)	83 (15.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (3.6%)	78.7	116^th of 492 public elementary schools	76.4%		76.1	137^th of 493 public elementary schools	72.2%	21			60.4	77.1					68.5	74.8					$25,182
Scotland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	68 Brook Rd.	Scotland	06264	Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region	Scotland School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 423-0064	95	13	7.5	40.0%	84 (88.4%)	1 (1.1%)	10 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)															$28,068
Chaplin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	240 Palmer Rd.	Chaplin	06235	Capitol Planning Region	Chaplin School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 455-9593	150	19	7.8	34.7%	119 (79.3%)	3 (2.0%)	17 (11.3%)	4 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.7%)								(n/a)	496.0				2469.0	2497.0					2505.0	2533.0			$28,220
Lebanon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	479 Exeter Rd.	Lebanon	06249	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	Lebanon School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 642-7593	366	31	11.9	25.4%	308 (84.2%)	4 (1.1%)	37 (10.1%)	6 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.0%)	74.1	153^rd of 492 public elementary schools	68.9%		64.8	203^rd of 493 public elementary schools	58.8%	50			68.9	68.3					62.3	2498.0					$21,715
Horace W. Porter School	Public	PK, KG-8	3 Schoolhouse Road	Columbia	06237	Capitol Planning Region	Columbia School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 228-9493	440	45	9.8	22.0%	367 (83.4%)	2 (0.5%)	47 (10.7%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.5%)	60.8	219^th of 492 public elementary schools	55.5%		46.6	258^th of 493 public elementary schools	47.7%	39	69.0	808.0	62.3	46.2	58.1	58.2	54.2	2584.0	71.7	2495.0	41.9	45.5	60.4	40.7	$24,686
Franklin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	206 Pond Rd.	North Franklin	06254	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	Franklin School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 642-7063	185	16	11.4	26.5%	151 (81.6%)	1 (0.5%)	15 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (9.2%)								(n/a)			70.4			2535.0			70.4			2551.0			$24,099

Frequently Asked Questions about Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy

What is the racial makeup of Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy?

Students at Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy are 49% Hispanic, 44% White, 4% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy attend?

Students who attend Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy usually go on to attend:

Middle : Windham Middle School
High : Windham High School

Is Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy a good school?

Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy ranks 346^th of 492 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 535 students attended Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy.

What district is Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy in?

Windham School District

Rate Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy!

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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.