Capital Preparatory Harbor School, Bridgeport CT

Original Research by School Decision on Capital Preparatory Harbor School

Capital Preparatory Harbor School is a public charter serving grades kindergarten through twelve in Bridgeport, located at a Main Street address in the downtown area. It operates under a state charter renewed in 2024 for an additional four-year term, which secures its funding and continued operation.

Admission is entirely by April lottery rather than by residence, so families moving to Bridgeport cannot count on a guaranteed seat; instead, they enter a drawing open to all applicants. The school enrolls a majority high-needs, multilingual, and first-generation college-bound population. About two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Black and Hispanic, reflecting Bridgeport's demographics.

The school runs an extended calendar from August through late June with a correspondingly extended school day that includes enrichment and athletics. A defining feature is its social-justice-centered, college-preparatory model. High school seniors must complete and pass a Social Justice Project to graduate. The school offers dual enrollment allowing students to earn college credits or an associate degree while completing their high school diploma, a pathway particularly relevant for families prioritizing post-secondary access.

Enrollment is substantial for a charter school, spanning all grades from kindergarten through grade twelve. The school tested across grades three through eight for state assessments during the 2024-25 school year, with full participation.

In English language arts, the school's overall proficiency rate across tested grades and students is in the upper half. Performance varies by grade level, with younger students (grade three) showing lower proficiency and older middle school students (grades six through eight) showing higher proficiency, with grade eight reaching above four in ten students. In mathematics, overall proficiency is somewhat lower, hovering around one in two across all tested grades. Lower elementary mathematics proficiency is modest, and this dips significantly at grade five before recovering somewhat in the middle grades. Science proficiency at grade five is low, while grade eight science proficiency reaches above four in ten students. Across all three tested subjects, the school's proficiency index places it below the midpoint among the other districts in the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region.

Data on graduation rate, chronic absenteeism, special education enrollment, and English learner enrollment were not available. The school does not report state testing results for grades nine through twelve, which is typical for charter schools that may use different pathways or assessments at the high school level.

Bridgeport itself is a mid-sized, densely built coastal city organized around distinct neighborhoods rather than a single urban core. Downtown functions as the civic and cultural hub, hosting City Hall, theaters, the main library, and the multimodal Bridgeport Transportation Center, which connects to Metro-North and Amtrak rail and interstate ferry service, placing downtown residents roughly ninety minutes from New York City. The waterfront is undergoing active redevelopment, including the 52-acre Steelpointe Harbor mixed-use project with residential and commercial components, and more affordable housing developments. The city contains historic residential neighborhoods with tree-lined streets and early-twentieth-century homes alongside denser multifamily areas and a culturally diverse population with substantial Hispanic, African American, and Italian communities reflected in local events and food culture. Walkability outside downtown is limited; the city overall has minimal bike infrastructure. Housing values in the city's zip code are below the Connecticut state average, and monthly rents are correspondingly moderate.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

80-89%Cohort of 51 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

205 schools plotted. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 28%

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

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 8%

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 619%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 715%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 18%

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 23%

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 37%

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

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 11 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 43%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Science

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 19%

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

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

This schoolCapital Preparatory Harbor School 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.

Proficiency by household income

Mathematics

Grade 8Lower-income13%Higher-income29%16 pp gap