Summary:
The zip code 06790 contains one middle school, Torrington Middle School, serving grades 7–8 with 981 students and a 12:1 student-teacher ratio. As the only middle school in the area, it represents the entire middle school landscape for this part of Torrington. The school holds a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger, placing it in the 30th–37th percentile of Connecticut middle schools over the last three years. It serves a predominantly high-need population, with about 67% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and its chronic absenteeism rate of 17% is slightly above the state and district rate of 16.4%.
Academically, the biggest area of concern is mathematics. In 2025-2026, only 25.4% of 7th graders and 19.2% of 8th graders scored proficient in math, compared to state averages of 44.1% and 41.9% respectively. ELA performance is closer to state averages but inconsistent; 7th grade ELA jumped from 34.2% to 47.9% between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, while 8th grade ELA slipped from 44.3% to 39.1%. Science proficiency also took a sharp drop, falling from 48.1% to 38.6% in one year, widening a previously narrow gap with the state average. These fluctuations likely reflect differences between student cohorts rather than a single trend.
Compared to its district, Torrington School District, the school’s results are almost identical, indicating that it is not underperforming relative to its local peers. Per-student spending is substantial at $17,949 (2018-2019), yet outcomes lag the state, raising questions about resource use without implying a direct cause. The school's rankings have been stable but low—between 164th and 174th out of roughly 250-258 schools over three years—suggesting no rapid decline, but also no meaningful improvement. For parents, the key takeaway is that Torrington Middle School faces real academic challenges, especially in math, while serving a high-poverty student body that performs close to its district but well below the state.
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