Best High Schools in Zip Code 06704

Zip code 06704 in Waterbury, Connecticut is home to two public high schools — Wilby High School and Waterbury Career Academy — both serving grades 9–12 as part of the Waterbury School District, a district ranked 144th out of 153 in Connecticut. Despite enrolling similar student populations with comparable poverty levels and nearly identical per-student funding, the two schools have produced dramatically different outcomes across nearly every measure of student success.

Waterbury Career Academy is the clear standout. It ranks 69th out of 133 Connecticut high schools (48th percentile), up sharply from 105th just two years ago. Its graduation rate is 97.8%, its chronic absenteeism rate is just 8.9%, and its ELA proficiency of 58% actually exceeds the state average of 55.3%. Wilby High School, by contrast, ranks 129th out of 133 (3rd percentile) and has remained in the bottom 3–5% for three straight years. Its graduation rate is 82.7%, nearly half of its students are chronically absent, and only 14.2% of students are proficient in ELA. The two schools are only about $218 apart in per-student spending.

Perhaps the most powerful insight is how closely attendance tracks achievement. Wilby's 49.8% chronic absenteeism rate is more than triple the state average of 16.4%, while Career Academy's 8.9% rate is less than half the state average. Both schools struggle with math — Career Academy's 19.3% proficiency and Wilby's 8.1% are both far below the state's 31.3% — but Career Academy proves that a high-poverty school can still achieve strong results. Its smaller student-teacher ratio (11.9 vs. 14.4) and strong student engagement appear to make a meaningful difference, demonstrating that school culture and leadership matter at least as much as funding or demographics.