Best Public Schools in Zip Code 06604

Zip code 06604 is served by 6 schools—5 elementary schools serving PK-8 grades in the Bridgeport School District plus 1 K-12 alternative school, Capital Preparatory Harbor School, in its own district. There are no traditional middle or high schools in the zip code, and total enrollment is 3,499 students. The area is high-poverty: the 5 Bridgeport elementary schools report 91–96% free/reduced-price lunch eligibility, while Capital Preparatory Harbor School is lower at 68.5%. The Bridgeport School District ranks 147th out of 153 Connecticut districts (4th percentile), placing almost all of these schools in the bottom 11% of the state.

Capital Preparatory Harbor School is the clear academic leader, with a 94.3% graduation rate, the lowest chronic absenteeism in the zip at 18.9%, and an average ELA proficiency of 35.5%—far ahead of every other school. It achieves these outcomes while spending the least per student ($10,045) and having the highest student-teacher ratio (21.2). Among the traditional Bridgeport schools, Classical Studies Academy stands out with 1-star ratings for three consecutive years, chronic absenteeism of just 19.6% versus the district's 31.3%, and above-district proficiency in 4th-grade math and 5th-grade ELA. It also has the lowest per-student spending among the elementary schools at $11,326.

The most challenged schools include Roosevelt School, which has the highest poverty rate (96.4%) and reported 0% proficiency in 4th-grade math in 2025–26, dropping from the 11th percentile to the 2nd percentile in a single year. Columbus School has the highest chronic absenteeism (32.8%) and spends the most per student ($13,538), yet ranks near the bottom of the state, while James J. Curiale School ranked 491st of 493 schools in 2024–25. Overall, attendance differentiates outcomes more than poverty does, and higher spending or smaller class sizes do not reliably predict better results. Small pockets of strength exist in specific grade levels, but every school in the zip remains well below state proficiency averages.