Best High Schools in Zip Code 06040

High Schools in zip code 06040 (Manchester, CT) include two public high schools—Manchester High School and Howell Cheney Technical High School—both serving grades 9–12, with a combined enrollment of about 2,355 students in a district that is working to improve outcomes. The standout story here is that no school is top-tier academically, but each has a different strength: Howell Cheney posts an exceptional 97.4% graduation rate, well above the state average of 91.2%, while Manchester High holds a clear academic edge in test scores and ranks higher statewide (85th vs. 110th out of 133). Both schools are in low-ranking districts—Manchester School District is ranked 128th and Connecticut Technical Education and Career System is 139th out of 153 districts.

Looking at key metrics, Manchester High outperforms Howell Cheney in math proficiency (21.3% vs. 6.7% proficient on the SAT) and is slightly ahead in science (30.2% vs. 29.1%). However, both are far below Connecticut averages (31.3% math, 50.5% science), and Manchester’s ELA proficiency of 46.2% trails the 55.3% state average. Howell Cheney does not report ELA scores, limiting direct comparison. Manchester also serves a more economically disadvantaged population, with 58.5% of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch compared to 41.6% at Howell Cheney, which may help explain its lower 88.3% graduation rate. Chronic absenteeism is high at both schools (19.7% at Manchester, 17.4% at Howell Cheney) versus the 16.4% state average, though Howell Cheney’s lower absenteeism aligns with its better graduation rate.

Both schools have favorable student–teacher ratios around 11:1, yet still produce below-average results, suggesting factors beyond class size matter. On a positive note, both have improved their state rankings over three years—Manchester moved from 97th to 85th and Howell Cheney from 127th to 110th—though both remain in the bottom half of Connecticut. A surprising finding is that Howell Cheney’s science proficiency (29.1%) is nearly equal to Manchester’s (30.2%), despite a huge math gap, possibly reflecting the technical school’s hands-on, applied science focus. For parents, the choice is essentially between a traditional school with better test performance (Manchester High) and a technical school with an outstanding graduation rate but very weak academic test scores (Howell Cheney), with neither yet reaching state averages.