Summary:
Zip code 06512 contains 8 schools—7 elementary and 1 middle school—serving 2,460 students across two districts, East Haven School District and New Haven School District, with no high schools in the immediate area. Grade configurations vary widely, from early learning centers like Overbrook Early Learning Center (PK–K) and Deer Run School (PK–2) to schools spanning elementary and middle grades like Nathan Hale School (PK–8) and Joseph Melillo Middle School (6–8). The student population is high-need overall, with free/reduced lunch eligibility averaging about 61%.
Performance varies considerably. Dominick H. Ferrara School is the highest-performing traditional elementary school (32nd percentile), posting 3rd grade math proficiency of 54.0%, above the state average of 52.2%, despite 63.4% free/reduced lunch eligibility. Joseph Melillo Middle School is the highest-ranked school overall (38th percentile) with the lowest student-teacher ratio (9.4). Momauguin School posts strong 5th grade results (51.2% in both ELA and science, near state averages) despite the highest poverty rate (71.9%). Carbone School/East Haven Academy has the lowest chronic absenteeism (8.2%), while Nathan Hale School—the sole New Haven school—far exceeds its district, with 7th and 8th grade ELA proficiency of 50.0% versus district averages around 27–31%.
Still, gaps are wide even among similar schools: 3rd grade math ranges from 18.0% at Grove J. Tuttle School to 54.0% at Ferrara. Sixth grade appears to be a weak transition year at both Melillo and Nathan Hale, with ELA scores roughly 15–20 points below 7th grade. Deer Run School and Overbrook Early Learning Center serve 405 students combined but lack test score data, creating blind spots. And higher spending does not clearly align with outcomes—Overbrook spends the most ($19,937 per student) but has no outcome data, while Tuttle spends the least ($14,443) and posts some of the lowest scores.
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