Hindley Elementary School, Darien CT

Original Research by School Decision on Hindley Elementary School

Hindley Elementary School is a small, neighborhood K-5 school in Darien serving about four hundred students. Test performance across recent state assessments is solid. In third grade, math proficiency runs stronger than English language arts; in fourth grade, math stands notably above seventh-eighths, while ELA is also high. By fifth grade, both math and ELA proficiency settle around four-fifths, with science proficiency tracking similarly. Across all tested grades and subjects, the school's combined proficiency sits in the top quartile among districts across the county, reflecting widespread competency rather than concentrated strength in a single area.

The student population is predominantly white, with smaller numbers of Asian and Hispanic students, and very few students from other racial groups. Data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility and on counts of students with IEPs or English learner status were not available. Enrollment is stable and relatively balanced across grades, with slightly higher numbers in grades one, two, and five.

Darien itself is a wealthy suburban bedroom community on Connecticut's Gold Coast, oriented toward commuters into New York City. Most residents work outside town; the local job base is negligible, and schools and town government are among the few major employers. The area has experienced a wave of mixed-use, transit-oriented redevelopment near both Metro-North stations since early 2023, with new housing adding over a thousand apartments and ground-floor retail and restaurants. Housing values in the area are very high, reflecting the town's status as an exclusive residential market with steep barriers to entry. The district raised its kindergarten cutoff effective this school year, requiring children to turn five by September 1st to be automatically eligible.

Within Darien public schools, literacy instruction shifted substantially in 2025-26 when the district adopted a phonics-based science-of-reading approach (HMH Into Reading) for K-3 following Connecticut's Right to Read state mandate. The district also implemented a new accelerated math pathway in third grade that allows advancement as students master concepts rather than placing them on fixed tracks early, a change intended to reduce schedule disruptions in later grades. The district's 2025-26 budget process involved contested proposed cuts, including potential elimination of instructional paraprofessionals and new fees for non-CIAC sports, before the board approved its spending plan. The district is also transitioning toward self-insured health insurance to manage rising costs, a shift families may want to monitor. Hindley sits on a neighborhood campus away from downtown Darien, one of five elementary schools distributed across town.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 381%

School 81% · District 88% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 491%

School 91% · District 87% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 584%

School 84% · District 81% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 372%

School 72% · District 82% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 483%

School 83% · District 84% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 581%

School 81% · District 83% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Science

Grade 583%

School 83% · District 81% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

This schoolDarien 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.