Summary:
Zip code 06840 (New Canaan, CT) is served by a single middle school, Saxe Middle School, which enrolls 1,271 students across grades 5 through 8 as part of the New Canaan School District — a district ranked 2nd out of 153 in Connecticut with a 5-star rating. Saxe is not just the only school in the area; it is also an elite performer, ranked #1 out of 258 Connecticut middle schools for the 2025–2026 school year and holding a #1 ranking for the second consecutive year.
Academically, Saxe operates at a level far above state norms. In the most recent SBAC/NGSS testing, proficiency rates range from 84.6% to 92.6% in English Language Arts across grades 5–8, versus state averages of roughly 51–54%. Math proficiency is similarly exceptional, from 83.9% in 5th grade up to 90.2% in 8th grade, outperforming Connecticut's average by as much as 48 points in the 8th grade. Science proficiency reaches 88.9% in 5th grade and 86.1% in 8th grade, again well above state averages. Chronic absenteeism stands at just 6.0%, far below the state's 16.4% rate, though slightly above the district's own 4.8% figure.
Saxe benefits from substantial resources, including $21,670 in per-student spending and a 10.8:1 student-to-teacher ratio, and it does not report free/reduced-price lunch data, reflecting an affluent community. While the school's lowest scores appear in 6th grade ELA (84.6%) and 5th grade math (83.9%), these remain 33–39 points above state averages, illustrating remarkable consistency. Year-over-year trends show improvement in most grades and subjects, including a 9.5-point jump in 5th grade ELA, and Saxe has climbed from 3rd place in 2023–2024 to #1 in the past two years. In short, Saxe Middle School defines middle-school excellence in Connecticut, blending high achievement, strong attendance, and abundant resources into an environment that is nearly unmatched statewide.
Thank you for your feedback!