Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 06051

The three elementary schools in zip code 06051 — Smalley Elementary School, Smith Elementary School, and Northend Elementary School — serve grades K-5 in New Britain, Connecticut, and belong to the New Britain School District, which ranks in the 2nd percentile statewide.

Among the three, Smith Elementary stands out as the strongest academic performer. It is the only school in the group to earn a 1-star rating, with a 2025-2026 state rank of 413 out of 491 (16th percentile). Smith posts the highest average test proficiency (~25.6%) and outperforms the district in several subjects, including 5th-grade math (30.4% vs. the district's 18.4%) and 5th-grade science (29.0% vs. 24.2%). Smith also has the highest per-student spending at $14,530 and a chronic absenteeism rate of 23.0%, notably better than the district's 32.0%. By contrast, Smalley Elementary faces the greatest challenges: it has the largest enrollment (594), the highest poverty rate (86.2% free/reduced-price lunch), the highest chronic absenteeism (25.1%), and the lowest state rank (477 out of 491, 3rd percentile). Its 5th-grade math proficiency is just 7.1%, far below the state average of 45.8%. Northend Elementary, the smallest school with 212 students, has the lowest student-teacher ratio (11.2) and the lowest absenteeism (21.8%), but its state ranking slipped from the 12th to 9th percentile.

Across all three schools, chronic absenteeism is well above the state average of 16.4%, though below the district average of 32.0%. Math proficiency is a consistent weak spot, with even the strongest school, Smith, lagging the state average by more than 15 points. Spending and class size do not neatly explain outcomes: Northend's low student-teacher ratio has not produced top results, and Smalley's low spending coincides with its low performance. Still, Smith and Smalley both improved their statewide rankings between 2023-2024 and 2025-2026, while Northend declined. For parents, Smith is the relative academic leader, Northend offers a smaller setting with better attendance, and Smalley warrants the most attention given its combination of high poverty, low achievement, and limited resources.