Two elementary schools in the Danbury Public Schools district have been recognized by U.S. New & World Report as being among the top in Connecticut elementary and middle schools based on test scoring. Western Connecticut Academy of International Studies (AIS) was listed as 58, while Great Plain School came in at 70.
In addition to two schools in the top 100, Westside Middle School Academy placed 107 and King Street Intermediate School came in at 116.
U.S. News & World Report reports annually on schools with a directory ranking more than 102,000 preschools, elementary, middle and high schools and searchable by state, district and city. In Connecticut, 848 K-8 schools were ranked: 560 elementary and 288 middle schools. According to the report’s website, the new rankings focus on two areas: math and reading proficiency or how well students perform on state assessments and performance. The state assessment data used in the ranking are from the 2018-19 school year.
Here’s how Danbury schools measured up in test scoring:
At AIS, one of the district’s two magnet schools, 72 percent of students scored at or above the proficient level for math and 77 scored at or above that level for reading. Great Plain School students were at 67 percent at or above proficient in math and 77 percent in reading. Minority student enrollment at DPS schools that ranked on the list is above 50 percent.
At Westside Middle School Academy, 43 percent of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 58 percent scored at or above that level for reading. At King Street Intermediate School, 42 percent of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 50 percent scored at or above that level for reading.
“Our district has been steadily increasing in student enrollment, and clearly the result has been that it has made us more proficient in meeting the challenges of this growth,” said Superintendent Kevin Walston. “I’m proud of all of our schools and our dedicated faculty and staff, and it is rewarding to have our students’ progress recognized at this level.”