Summary:
Zip code 06078 is home to two elementary schools in the Suffield School District — McAlister Intermediate School (grades 3–5) and A. Ward Spaulding School (grades PK–2) — serving roughly 927 students in a relatively low-poverty area.
These two schools form a natural PK–5 pipeline with nearly identical demographics. McAlister is the only tested school and ranks 212 out of 491 Connecticut elementary schools for 2025–2026, placing it in the 57th percentile. Its best recent year was 2024–2025, when it reached the 69th percentile. Math is a clear strength: 4th and 5th grade math scored 12 and 15 points above the state average, respectively, even after a year-over-year decline. Science is also solid, at 9 points above the state. However, 3rd-grade ELA fell below the state average in the most recent year, a possible transition effect for students entering from Spaulding. Spaulding has no test scores, but it stands out for its early-grade conditions: chronic absenteeism of just 5.6% (two-thirds lower than the state), a slightly lower student-teacher ratio of 13.7, and higher per-pupil spending of $16,415.
Both schools keep chronic absenteeism well below the district rate of 10.3% and state rate of 16.4%. McAlister’s broad test-score decline from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026 is worth noting — almost every subject dropped, with 3rd-grade ELA falling by 14 points and 4th-grade math by 10 points. Even with that decline, McAlister remains above the median Connecticut elementary school in math and science. Spaulding’s smaller classes and higher spending suggest a well-resourced early-elementary program, though the lack of academic data for grades PK–2 means any full assessment of the elementary experience relies on McAlister’s results. Overall, this is a stable, low-absenteeism school pair in a slightly above-average district.
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