Booker T. Washington Academy, New Haven CT

Original Research by School Decision on Booker T. Washington Academy

Booker T. Washington Academy is a charter school serving kindergarten through grade eight across two campuses: the elementary school is located on State Street in New Haven, while the middle school grades occupy a separate building in Hamden. The school operates under a management contract with Elevate Charter Schools, a nonprofit charter management organization that took over operations in fall 2023. The state renewed the school's charter through June 2027 and in December 2024 designated it a "School of Distinction" for high academic growth in the prior year.

The student body is predominantly Black, with most students coming from low-income families. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Enrollment spans from small kindergarten cohorts up through the eighth grade, with the tested grades (three through eight) each showing modest class sizes of around 40 students per grade.

Academic performance, based on the most recent state assessments, shows mixed results across the grade band and subjects. In English language arts overall, proficiency is moderate, though results vary notably by grade. Third grade, fourth grade, and seventh grade show lower proficiency, while sixth and eighth grades perform somewhat better; several grades had data suppressed. In mathematics, the pattern is similarly uneven: third grade and eighth grade show very low proficiency, fourth grade is below average, seventh grade is particularly weak, but sixth grade stands out with notably stronger proficiency. Science proficiency in the tested grades (five and eight) falls below the overall performance level. When proficiency rates are averaged across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall index places it in the bottom quartile of districts across the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, indicating academic performance well below the midpoint for the county.

The state's assessment data suggests the school is in an improvement phase. The charter renewal and the "School of Distinction" designation for academic growth signal that district leadership and the state see trajectory moving in a positive direction, even if absolute proficiency levels remain low. A parent evaluating this school may want to discuss with administration how the Elevate partnership is supporting instructional practice in specific subject areas where gaps are widest.

Operationally, families should note that middle school enrollment requires commuting to Hamden. New Haven itself is experiencing active housing growth, with new residential construction and upzoning underway, though housing costs in the area are rising. The school's location on State Street places it in downtown New Haven, which is walkable and transit-connected via Union Station and CTtransit bus service.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 23%

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 713%

School 13% · District 13%

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 23%

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 729%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Science

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

This schoolBooker T. Washington Academy District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.