Summary:
Zip code 06840 is home to 5 public schools serving grades PK–12 in New Canaan, Connecticut, enrolling approximately 4,040 students across East School, New Canaan High School, Saxe Middle School, South School, and West School — all part of the New Canaan School District, which ranks #2 of 153 districts in Connecticut with a 5-star rating. Every school in this zip code earns 5 stars and ranks in the 97th percentile or higher within its school type.
Saxe Middle School is the standout, ranked #1 among Connecticut middle schools for two straight years with roughly 88% proficiency across ELA, math, and science. New Canaan High School posts near-perfect outcomes with a 99.1% graduation rate, but math is its relative weak spot at 73.1% proficiency versus 90.2% in ELA. Among elementary schools, East School ranks #3 in Connecticut for 2025–2026, South School ranks #4 with the district's lowest chronic absenteeism at just 2.4%, and West School was ranked #1 in 2021–2022, though its most recent data is partially incomplete. Enrollment is remarkably stable — roughly 300–318 students per grade level across all school bands, indicating strong cohort retention.
Test scores across the district consistently land in the 85–95% proficiency range, nearly doubling the state averages of 41–55%. Chronic absenteeism is remarkably low district-wide (4.8% versus 16.4% statewide), though Saxe Middle School's 6.0% rate is the highest in the district — still far below the state figure. Per-student spending averages $22,283 with a student-teacher ratio of about 11.4:1, and free/reduced-price lunch eligibility is just 0.24%, reflecting the area's affluence. Year-over-year fluctuations, such as South School's dip from 92.0% to 89.3% proficiency, likely reflect cohort differences rather than systemic decline. Overall, 06840 offers an exceptionally resourced, academically elite, and highly stable public school community.
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