Summary:
ZIP code 06401, located in the Ansonia, Connecticut area, is served by two public high schools covering grades 9 through 12: Emmett O'Brien Technical High School and Ansonia High School. Both schools are similar in size, with enrollments of 618 and 617 respectively, and nearly identical student-teacher ratios of 12.1 and 12.8. However, the two schools belong to different districts — the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System and the Ansonia School District — and their academic outcomes differ substantially.
Emmett O'Brien Technical High School is the clear academic leader in the area. Its graduation rate of 96.7% is well above the state average of 91.2% and far surpasses Ansonia High School's 83.1%, a gap of 13.6 percentage points. Emmett O'Brien also leads in science proficiency (36.1% vs. 24.3%) and has a slightly lower chronic absenteeism rate (16.8% vs. 17.4%). In addition, a smaller share of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch (43.69% vs. 59.32%), indicating lower economic need at the technical school, which also posts a strong English Language Arts proficiency of 38%.
The most pressing concern for both schools is mathematics. Emmett O'Brien's math proficiency dropped to 7.3% in 2025–2026, while Ansonia High School scored just 9.9% in the prior year — both are far below the state average of 31.1%. Both schools also rank in the bottom quartile of Connecticut high schools overall, with Emmett O'Brien at the 23rd percentile and Ansonia High School at the 20th. While Ansonia High School's per-student spending of $19,054 is notable, that figure dates to 2018–2019 and does not appear to translate into higher outcomes. In short, families in 06401 will find a much stronger graduation and science option at Emmett O'Brien Technical High School, but both schools face serious math challenges.
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