Best Public Schools in Zip Code 06706

ZIP code 06706 in Waterbury, Connecticut, contains six schools — five elementary schools (some serving pre-kindergarten through 8th grade) and one high school, Waterbury Arts Magnet School — all belonging to the low-performing Waterbury School District, which ranks in the bottom 6% of Connecticut districts. Every school in this area serves a high-poverty population, with free/reduced-price lunch eligibility ranging from 62.5% to 82.8%, and the average enrollment across the six schools is about 509 students. Despite these challenges, the schools show a clear split: the two magnet schools outperform the traditional neighborhood schools on nearly every measure.

Waterbury Arts Magnet School is the clear stand-out high school, with a 99.1% graduation rate, chronic absenteeism of just 12.6%, and middle school ELA proficiency that exceeds state averages in grades 6, 7, and 8. It ranks 94th out of 133 high schools and earns 2 stars. Among elementary schools, Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School is the strongest, ranking in the 40th percentile with 2 stars, a chronic absenteeism rate of just 6.2%, and 5th-grade science proficiency above the state average. At the other end, Gilmartin School and Hopeville School both earn 0 stars and rank in the bottom 5–8% of Connecticut elementary schools, with math proficiency rates often in the teens or single digits. Wendell L. Cross School and Washington School fall in between with 1 star each.

The most urgent issue across the entire ZIP code is math: no school reaches the state average at any grade level, and middle-grade math scores at schools like Gilmartin (10.7% proficiency in 8th grade) are alarmingly low. Chronic absenteeism, however, is a relative bright spot — four of the six schools are below the state average of 16.4%, with Maloney excelling at just 6.2%. Notably, higher spending does not guarantee better results: Hopeville spends over $17,000 per student yet ranks in the 5th percentile, while Maloney and Waterbury Arts Magnet prove that strong outcomes are possible despite high poverty. Most traditional schools are slowly improving their rankings, but math and middle-grade achievement remain the most critical areas for intervention.