Summary:
Zip code 06610 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, is served by two public high schools—Warren Harding High School (1,324 students) and Bullard-Havens Technical High School (819 students)—both covering grades 9–12 and enrolling predominantly low-income families, with 88.82% of Warren Harding students and 63.13% of Bullard-Havens students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. They operate under different systems: the Bridgeport School District, ranked 147th out of 153 districts statewide, and the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System, ranked 139th.
Bullard-Havens is the clear standout on nearly every measure. It graduates 99.0% of its students—far above the state average of 91.2% and nearly 20 percentage points higher than Warren Harding's 80.7%. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 19.9% is less than half of Warren Harding's 46.1%, and its student-teacher ratio of 9.9 is exactly half of Warren Harding's 19.9. On state testing, Bullard-Havens also leads: 23.8% of 11th graders are proficient in science versus 12.9% at Warren Harding, and 7.6% are proficient in SAT math versus 6.3%. Both schools earn low ratings—Bullard-Havens has 1 star while Warren Harding has 0 stars—and both trail state proficiency averages of 31.3% in math and 50.5% in science by wide margins.
For parents, the key takeaway is that school model matters. Bullard-Havens' hands-on technical curriculum and much smaller class sizes appear to keep students engaged and on track to graduate despite significant poverty. Warren Harding, a large comprehensive school within a struggling district, faces more severe challenges, including extreme absenteeism and single-digit math proficiency. While neither school approaches state academic averages, Bullard-Havens proves that strong graduation outcomes are achievable in a high-poverty setting, making it the stronger option in this zip code.
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