The top reported proficiency rate is 20% in English language arts. The lowest is 15% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Jumoke Academy District
Jumoke Academy District is a state-chartered tuition-free school serving pre-K through grade twelve in the Capitol Planning Region. The district's enrollment is small, with a student body that is substantially and predominantly Black, at over nine in ten students. The grade distribution shows a robust elementary and middle program, with only a handful of high school students currently enrolled.
State test results in reading and math, administered through the Smarter Balanced Assessment, show proficiency rates in the low to mid-range across elementary and middle grades. In grade three, roughly one in six students met proficiency in both math and English language arts. By grade four, ELA proficiency climbed to around three in ten, a relative strength within the district's profile. By grade five through eight, proficiency dropped back into the teens across both subjects. Science testing data for grades five and eight are suppressed for privacy reasons, though average scale scores are reported. The data available paints a picture of achievement well below state benchmarks, and the district's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among the Capitol Planning Region's districts.
The state's 2024 charter renewal review identified chronic absenteeism as a serious concern. The district's chronic absenteeism rate, at roughly three in ten students, is well above the county median and lands in the bottom quartile of regional peers. Connecticut's Department of Education placed Jumoke in its lowest performance category and required a corrective action plan focused on attendance and achievement, developed in partnership with the state's Turnaround Office. This ongoing status reflects that while the school remains chartered and tuition-free, it now operates under state-mandated improvement conditions.
The district offers structured middle-grade pathways that families choose between: a STEM-focused Honors SMaRT campus and an arts-integrated program at the Hartford Conservatory, serving grades five through eight. These themed tracks shape the middle school experience distinctly. Families select a pathway at entry and may request a transfer only by a March deadline, subject to available seats, meaning the choice carries weight for the remainder of middle school.
Effective July 2024, the district adopted a new Kindergarten entry policy requiring children to reach a certain age by September first, plus a readiness assessment for children who fall short but whose families request early placement. This creates a formal gatekeeping step that did not previously exist.
Per-pupil spending in the district is in the lower range of its county peers, roughly two-thirds to three-fourths the county median. The district does not report free- or reduced-price lunch eligibility, IEP rates, or English learner counts, making it difficult to gauge the economic or special-needs composition of the student body beyond the racial-ethnic breakdown.
For families considering Jumoke, the core question is whether the school's current academic performance and the required improvement status it operates under align with their expectations and needs. The chronic absenteeism rate is a tangible challenge; families would benefit from asking the school directly about its attendance-support strategies and whether conditions have shifted since the state's 2024 review. The dual-pathway middle school model appeals to families drawn to either STEM or arts emphasis, but parents should understand that the choice is binding without a March deadline request. The district's small high school enrollment suggests it may not be the right fit for families planning through grade twelve.
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