Summary:
Zip code 06811 in Danbury, Connecticut, is served by 10 schools — 7 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 2 high schools — enrolling 7,724 students, most of whom attend schools in the Danbury School District, with one high school belonging to the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System. The area serves a largely economically diverse population, with an average free/reduced lunch rate of 51.8%, ranging from 37.9% at Henry Abbott Technical High School to 64.4% at Hayestown Avenue School.
The brightest stories are Great Plain School and Westside Middle School Academy, the only two 3-star schools in the zip code. Great Plain School ranks in the 66th percentile statewide and posts proficiency rates well above state averages in elementary ELA, math, and science. Westside Middle School Academy ranks in the 51st percentile, beats district averages by wide margins in every subject, and has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the area at 6.1%. Henry Abbott Technical High School also stands out for engagement, with a 98.8% graduation rate and 8.9% chronic absenteeism, both far better than state averages. Pembroke School has improved from the 16th to the 33rd percentile over three years.
The most urgent concern is Danbury High School, which enrolls 3,612 students — nearly half of all students in the zip code — and struggles with an 83.3% graduation rate, 26.0% chronic absenteeism, and SAT proficiency rates well below state averages. Both high schools post very low math proficiency (about 11%), suggesting a systemic weakness in upper-grade math. Notably, per-pupil spending does not correlate with outcomes: Great Plain School spends below the zip code average, while Danbury High School spends the most. Poverty does not automatically predict low performance, as Westside Middle School Academy has a 54.2% free/reduced lunch rate yet outperforms its district by large margins.
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