Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 06320

Zip code 06320 serves the New London, Connecticut area and is home to four elementary magnet schools enrolling a combined 1,769 students in grades Pre-K through 6, all of which rank below Connecticut state averages in academic proficiency. The four schools include Regional Multicultural Magnet School (grades 1–6, LEARN district), Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School, Nathan Hale Arts Magnet School, and C.B. Jennings International Elementary Magnet (all grades PK–5, New London School District). Free/reduced lunch eligibility ranges from roughly 71% to 92%, indicating a predominantly high-poverty population.

Among the four schools, Regional Multicultural Magnet School stands out as the strongest overall, with the best state rank (384th of 491), lowest chronic absenteeism at 17.7%, and the highest ELA proficiency in 4th and 5th grades. Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School is the strongest relative to its district, beating the New London School District in every reported subject and grade level, including a standout 38.4% third-grade math proficiency. Nathan Hale Arts Magnet School showed the most improvement, rising from 469th to 453rd in state rankings despite having the lowest student-teacher ratio at 8:1. C.B. Jennings International Elementary Magnet is the most challenged, ranking 487th of 491 with a 91.6% free/reduced lunch rate, 29.8% chronic absenteeism, and the lowest proficiency in nearly every subject.

The key takeaway for parents is that poverty and attendance strongly track with performance. Jennings has both the highest poverty and absenteeism and the worst outcomes, while Regional has the lowest in both categories and the best results. All four schools fall far below state averages — combined third-grade ELA proficiency is about 21.7% versus the state's 47.3%, and fifth-grade math is about 17.4% versus 45.8%. Notably, per-student spending is relatively high ($15,434–$16,862) and class sizes are small, yet results remain low, suggesting funding alone is not overcoming the challenges of poverty and absenteeism. Three of the four schools belong to the New London School District, which ranks 151st of 153 Connecticut districts, while Regional belongs to the LEARN district and performs somewhat better.