Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 06515

ZIP code 06515 in New Haven, CT, is home to five elementary schools serving approximately 2,023 students across PK-8 grade spans. Four schools belong to the New Haven School District, ranked 143rd of 153 Connecticut districts (7th percentile, 0 stars), while Elm City Montessori School operates under the separate Elm City Montessori School District. This low district baseline is essential context for evaluating individual school results.

Mauro-Sheridan Magnet School is the clear academic standout, ranking in the 40th percentile with 2 stars — the only school in the group with 2 stars — and averaging about 38.6 percent proficiency across reported subjects, compared with 17-26 percent at other schools. It succeeds despite a 70.95 percent free/reduced-price lunch rate, exceeding the New Haven district average in nearly every subject and grade. Elm City Montessori School stands out for attendance, with only 10.5 percent chronic absenteeism versus the 16.4 percent state rate, and the lowest poverty rate in the ZIP at 43.91 percent. On the opposite end, Barack H. Obama Magnet University School spends the most per student ($19,107) and has the smallest classes (11.8:1), yet produces the weakest outcomes (5th percentile, 0 stars) and the highest chronic absenteeism (30.7 percent). Davis Academy for Arts & Design Innovation and Edgewood School fall in the middle, ranking at the 18th and 20th percentiles respectively.

The most important takeaway is that higher spending and smaller classes do not guarantee better results — the contrast between Obama Magnet and Mauro-Sheridan makes this clear. Chronic absenteeism is a useful indicator but not the whole story: Davis Academy has lower absenteeism than Mauro-Sheridan yet lower test scores. Middle school math appears to be a weak point across the PK-8 schools, with proficiency dropping sharply after 6th grade, and science scores are also low, especially at 8th grade. Families should evaluate test scores, attendance, and school climate together, while noting that the data has gaps — Elm City Montessori lacks a current ranking and has limited 2025-26 test data, and spending figures come from 2018-19.