New London School District, CT

Original Research by School Decision on New London School District

New London School District serves students from pre-kindergarten through grade twelve across the city of New London and draws enrollment from over forty surrounding towns, with city residents given priority placement. The district has recently completed a transformation into Connecticut's first all-magnet school district, organized around three thematic pathways: STEM, Visual and Performing Arts, and International Education. Enrollment is by application and lottery rather than traditional neighborhood assignment, creating a distinctive model where families actively select a pathway that matches their child's interests.

The district faces significant academic challenges. Across all tested grades and subjects, proficiency rates are notably low. In mathematics, proficiency ranges from around five percent in grade eight to roughly twenty-two percent in grade four. English language arts shows somewhat higher proficiency, with a range from around sixteen percent in grade three to nearly twenty-eight percent in grade five, though the district's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among districts in the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. Science proficiency is modestly higher, around thirty-two percent in grade five and twenty-six percent in grade eight. A parent looking at these numbers should understand that they signal widespread academic difficulty across the student population and warrant direct conversation with the school about what support structures and instructional approaches are in place.

Chronic absenteeism is another area of concern. The district reports rates that place it in the bottom quartile regionally, suggesting that attendance barriers or underlying disengagement may be compounding academic challenges. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly around what interventions exist to support consistent attendance and what role absenteeism plays in the overall performance picture.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, reflecting the city's demographics, with substantial Black, multiracial, and White populations also present. Free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not available, and special education and English learner enrollment counts were not provided, so the full picture of student need and support requirements is incomplete from the data on hand.

Per-pupil spending in New London is in the upper range compared to neighboring districts, suggesting the district is investing substantially in each student despite the academic outcomes. The gap between spending level and proficiency results is notable and worth understanding through direct inquiry about how resources are allocated and deployed.

The district's housing market shows home values in the modest range for Connecticut, with rents also relatively modest, making the area accessible to families with varied incomes. Home values have grown modestly year-over-year.

A significant operational change took effect in the 2026-27 school year. The Board of Education voted to close C.B. Jennings International Elementary Magnet School due to a substantial budget shortfall, requiring students to transfer to other schools in the district and prompting a district-wide restructuring of grade configurations to kindergarten through grade four for elementary, grades five through seven for middle, and grades eight through twelve for high school. This represents a major, lasting change to school assignments and transitions for affected families. Families whose children were enrolled at Jennings were offered the choice to apply to one of the two remaining elementary magnet pathways or be assigned to one of the other elementary schools.

The magnet structure itself is worth understanding before enrollment. Families select a pathway that aligns with their student's interests—whether STEM, arts, or international education—and apply through a lottery system. This means enrollment is not automatic; families must actively engage with the application process, and placement is competitive rather than guaranteed. The district also attracts students from well beyond the city limits, creating a more geographically dispersed student body than a traditional public school.

For a family considering New London, the key takeaway is that you are choosing a district in transition, with ambitious thematic programming but documented academic difficulty across core subjects, significant attendance challenges, and recent operational upheaval from a school closure. The pathway model offers substantive choice and thematic organization, which appeals to families seeking alternative structures, but the academic performance data suggests that families should investigate closely what instructional supports and interventions are available to help students catch up to grade-level standards.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

2,922

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 59%

Black 17%

White 12%

Asian 1%

Two+ 11%

Am. Indian / AK Native 1%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

14%

28%

Gr 4

—

64%

Gr 5

22%

59%

Gr 7

17%

—

Math

Gr 4

—

60%

Gr 5

10%

33%

Gr 6

30%

Science

Gr 5

26%

63%

Gr 8

—

59%

Schools in this District

9 schools are officially reported under this district.

C.B. Jennings International Elementary Magnet

Nathan Hale Arts Magnet School

New London High School

Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School

Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School

Harbor Elementary School

Science and Technology Magnet Pathway for High School Grades

New London Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School

Science and Technology Magnet Pathway for Middle Grades

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

15%

Grade 3

22%

Grade 4

13%

Grade 5

Grade 6

11%

Grade 7

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

16%

Grade 3

24%

Grade 4

28%

Grade 5

24%

Grade 6

20%

Grade 7

22%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

33%

Grade 5

26%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$317,838

Year-over-year change+3.4%

vs. state typical0.72x

vs. national typical0.86x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (1 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
06320	New London	$318K	+3.4%	100.0%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,642/mo

Year-over-year change+0.8%

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (1 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
06320	New London	$1,642	+0.8%	100.0%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,604/mo

Home price / national median income3.8x

Annual rent / national median income23.5%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$38/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$441,466 (+4.8% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.