Summary:
Zip code 06053 in New Britain, Connecticut, is served by two public high schools: the Academy of Science and Innovation, a grade 6–12 magnet school with 767 students operated by the Capitol Region Education Council, and E. C. Goodwin Technical High School, a grade 9–12 career-technical school with 690 students in the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System. Both schools sit on Slater Road and serve economically diverse student bodies, with 63.49% of Academy students and 52.75% of Goodwin students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
E. C. Goodwin Technical High School emerges as the stronger all-around performer. Its 2025-2026 state ranking of 95th out of 133 high schools outpaces the Academy of Science and Innovation's 109th-place finish, and Goodwin's percentile ranking has climbed from the 11th in 2022-2023 to the 29th. Goodwin also leads in graduation rate (98.7% vs. 96.0%), chronic absenteeism (21.2% vs. 29.2%), and 11th-grade NGSS science proficiency (46.9% vs. 24.5% at Academy the prior year). Goodwin edges out Academy in SAT math proficiency (9.4% vs. 6.1%), while Academy takes a clear advantage in SAT ELA proficiency (39.4% vs. 24.2%).
Despite graduation rates above the state average of 91.2%, both schools show academic proficiency well below state benchmarks, especially in math, where Connecticut averages 31.3%. Academy's 39.4% ELA proficiency contrasts sharply with its 6.1% math rate, a 33-point gap, and its middle-grade SBAC scores declined year over year in both subjects. Chronic absenteeism exceeds the state's 16.4% rate at both schools, though Goodwin's 21.2% is meaningfully better than Academy's 29.2%. With nearly identical student-teacher ratios (10.8 vs. 10.6) and Academy reporting $19,155 per-student spending, parents choosing between these two Slater Road neighbors should weigh Goodwin's rising technical-education model and stronger science and math outcomes against Academy's grade 6–12 continuity and English language arts advantage.
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