South Street School, Danbury CT - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on South Street School

South Street School is a regular public elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Danbury, Connecticut. With an enrollment of about 377 students, it is a modestly sized school for its grade band. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, making up the large majority of enrollment, with smaller shares of white, Asian, and multiracial students. About a third of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting moderate economic need among families in the school's attendance area.

State testing results from the most recent school year show academic performance that warrants attention. In English Language Arts, proficiency across grades three through five averaged in the low-to-mid range, with fifth grade performing strongest and third grade weaker. Math proficiency was somewhat higher on average, with fourth grade notably stronger than third or fifth grade. Science testing results in fifth grade were reported but proficiency rates were suppressed by the state, so specific attainment cannot be shown. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile compared to other districts in the Western Connecticut Planning Region. A parent evaluating this school would want to look into current literacy and numeracy supports in place, particularly in the early grades where third-grade results suggest students are not yet catching up.

No data on English learner enrollment or special education identification rates were available, so it is unclear what proportion of students receive language services or special education support. This is worth asking the school directly, given the school's high share of Hispanic students.

Danbury itself is a mixed-character mid-sized city with a historic downtown core anchored by Main Street, a diversified economy spanning healthcare, education, retail, and light manufacturing, and modest population growth. The city is experiencing downtown revitalization with new mixed-use residential development and public investment, though its broader walkability remains limited and car-dependent. Housing costs have risen substantially in recent years, with median home values elevated relative to national benchmarks and monthly rental costs climbing as well. The city adopted a long-range plan in 2022 calling for increased downtown density, relaxed building heights, and more affordable housing, signaling growth and change ahead.

The Danbury School District has undergone a significant reorganization. The opening of Danbury High School West as a dedicated career academy campus has expanded high school capacity to accommodate a growing student population, and the district has adopted a career-academy model that organizes learning around themed pathways and early-college or work-based experiences. For families with students in elementary grades now, this signals what high school structure may look like downstream. At the elementary level, no information about specific academic programs, enrichment offerings, or classroom models was available in the data provided.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 44% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 41% · ▲ 19 pts above district

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

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 35% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 33% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 35% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 36 pts below county median

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 37% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

This schoolDanbury 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

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income27%Higher-income30%4 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income36%Higher-income36%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income54%Higher-income70%16 pp gap