Best Public Schools in Zip Code 06607

Zip code 06607 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, contains two public PK-8 elementary schools—Jettie S. Tisdale School and Paul Laurence Dunbar School—serving a combined 938 students within the Bridgeport School District, which ranks in the bottom 4% of Connecticut districts.

Tisdale is the larger and better-resourced school, with 547 students, a lower student-teacher ratio (11.8 vs. 16.2), and per-pupil spending of $16,267—about $3,000 more per student than Dunbar. It also has lower chronic absenteeism (34.9% vs. 40.5%) and more recent test data, including a 2025-26 state ranking in the 6th percentile. While Tisdale's scores are far below state averages—ranging from roughly 15% to 30% proficiency across subjects—its best single result, 29.9% in 7th grade English, is higher than anything reported at Dunbar. Dunbar, by contrast, has no state ranking since 2016-17 (when it placed in the 0th percentile), a 40.5% chronic absenteeism rate, and a 0% proficiency rate in 4th grade math in 2024-25. The one notable bright spot for Dunbar is that its 2024-25 7th grade English score of 17.0% beat Tisdale's 13.9%.

Both schools serve nearly identical high-poverty populations: about 92% of students at each school qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and both struggle with attendance at more than double the state's 16.4% chronic absenteeism rate. Test proficiency trails the Connecticut average by roughly 20 to 35 percentage points in nearly every grade and subject. Tisdale has shown slight ranking improvement since 2023-24 before dipping again, while Dunbar's limited recent data makes its current standing hard to assess. For parents, the key takeaway is that both schools face serious challenges tied to poverty and absenteeism, with Tisdale offering somewhat more resources and stability, and Dunbar showing several critical red flags—especially in math—that deserve attention.