Summary:
Zip code 06896 covers Redding, Connecticut, and is served by a single middle school: John Read Middle School. This school serves grades 5 through 8 with 381 students and is part of the Redding School District, which ranks #8 out of 153 Connecticut districts, placing it in the 95th percentile. The school itself holds a 5-star rating and has ranked in the top 10% of Connecticut middle schools for three consecutive years.
Academically, John Read Middle School outperforms the state by a wide margin. In the 2025–2026 school year, proficiency rates reached 76.7% in ELA and 73.2% in math, compared to state averages of 52.0% and 44.1%. Science is even stronger, with 82.4% of students proficient versus a 51.9% state average. Chronic absenteeism sits at just 6.1%, far below the state rate of 16.4%. The student–teacher ratio is a low 10.4 to 1, and per-student spending is about $24,945, creating a well-resourced environment. Only 11.29% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Science is the school’s standout subject, holding a roughly 30-point advantage over the state. The most noticeable soft spot is 6th grade math, which posted 64.4% proficiency in 2024–2025 and 68.6% in 2025–2026 — both still well above the state’s 44% average. Seventh grade performance has been more volatile, including a year-over-year drop in math from 83.3% to 71.3%. State rankings shifted from #14 to #23 to #19 over the past three years, a minor dip that kept the school in the 91st–94th percentile. Overall, John Read is an elite, well-resourced middle school with consistently exceptional outcomes.
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