Summary:
Zip code 06052 in New Britain, Connecticut, is served by 3 schools in the New Britain School District — Lincoln Elementary School and Vance Elementary School serving grades K–5, and Slade Middle School serving grades 6–8 — with a combined enrollment of 1,771 students. The district ranks 150th out of 153 Connecticut districts, meaning all three schools face significant academic challenges, and there is no high school in the immediate zip code.
Lincoln Elementary School is the clear standout performer in the area. It holds the best school ranking of the three (400th of 491 elementary schools, 19th percentile) and has climbed steadily from the 7th to the 19th percentile over the past three years. Lincoln also posts the highest test proficiency rates in the zip code — roughly 27.5% overall, with especially strong math and science scores — while having the lowest chronic absenteeism (23.0%) and the lowest student-teacher ratio (13.2:1). This is particularly notable because Lincoln serves the highest poverty population of the three schools (78.4% free/reduced lunch) yet spends the least per student ($13,398).
By contrast, Slade Middle School is the most concerning school in the zip code. It ranks in the bottom 2% of Connecticut middle schools, with fewer than 1 in 5 students proficient in most subjects, and it spends the most per student ($15,338) while producing the weakest academic outcomes. Vance Elementary School sits in the middle — it improved from the 5th to the 10th percentile between 2023–24 and 2024–25 but has remained stagnant since. Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide challenge, ranging from 23.0% at Lincoln to 27.5% at Slade, well above the state average of 16.4%. The data suggests school-level factors matter: Lincoln's steady improvement demonstrates that progress is possible even within a low-performing district.
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