Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 06706

Zip code 06706 in Waterbury, CT is home to five elementary schools serving approximately 2,233 students in grades PK-5 and PK-8, all part of the Waterbury School District, which ranks near the bottom of Connecticut districts. Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School is the clear academic standout, ranking 294th out of 491 elementary schools statewide (40th percentile) and earning the only 2-star rating in the group. Maloney’s average proficiency of 45.3% is nearly double that of the next-closest school, Wendell L. Cross School, which ranks 403rd and shows steady improvement. Maloney also leads in attendance (6.2% chronic absenteeism) and has the lowest poverty rate (62.5% free/reduced lunch), while Cross posts the second-best attendance and outperforms schools with similar or higher poverty levels.

The remaining three schools face significant challenges. Washington School ranks 434th with the worst chronic absenteeism in the zip code (19.5%), a red flag for future growth. Gilmartin School and Hopeville School sit at the bottom (454th and 466th, respectively) with 0-star ratings and average proficiency around 18%. Hopeville has the highest poverty rate (82.8%) and the lowest student-teacher ratio (10.3:1), yet ties for the lowest academic performance—illustrating that smaller classes and higher spending (Hopeville spends $17,214 per student) do not guarantee better outcomes.

Across the zip code, attendance tracks performance closely, and middle school grades are a particular weakness for the PK-8 schools, with 8th-grade science proficiency at just 14.1% at Cross and 10.7% at Gilmartin versus the state average of 50.9%. Several schools are improving, including Cross, Gilmartin, and Hopeville, though Maloney’s rank slipped from 257th to 294th. For parents, Maloney is the top choice academically, while Cross is the strongest traditional neighborhood school. The other three require careful consideration, especially Washington’s attendance issues and the low proficiency levels at Gilmartin and Hopeville.