Clover Street School

Clover Street School in Windsor, CT, serves 276 students in grades 3–5 and is one of two upper-elementary schools in the Windsor School District, a district that ranks in the 20th percentile statewide. The school has a moderately high-need population, with 52.2% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, yet it enjoys strong resources: a 9.7:1 student-teacher ratio and per-pupil spending of $22,378, which is among the highest in the surrounding area.

One of the school’s most impressive achievements is its attendance record. The chronic absenteeism rate is just 8.4%, the lowest among all nearby schools and roughly half the state average of 16.4%. This rate has improved dramatically over the past five years, from 23.5% in 2021-22. Academically, the school’s strength lies in its 3rd-grade performance. In ELA, 49.1% of 3rd graders are proficient, exceeding both the district (42.6%) and state (47.3%). Math proficiency at 48.6% also outpaces the district average. However, this strong start fades by 5th grade, where only 36.0% of students are proficient in ELA and just 23.3% are proficient in math—a steep decline that is especially pronounced in mathematics.

The most direct comparison is with John F. Kennedy School, the district’s other grade 3-5 school, located just half a mile away. Clover Street outperforms JFK by 12.3 points in 3rd-grade ELA and 5.9 points in 3rd-grade math, but JFK reverses that trend by 4th and 5th grade, posting a 49.6% ELA proficiency and 29.9% math proficiency by 5th grade compared to Clover’s 36.0% and 23.3%. Clover also shows mixed results for specific student groups, with strong outcomes at times for African American and Hispanic students, but consistently lower results for low-income students. Despite high spending and excellent attendance, the school’s overall state rank remains in the 30th percentile, suggesting that these advantages have not yet translated into higher test scores, particularly in the upper grades.