Edgar H. Parkman School, Enfield CT

Original Research by School Decision on Edgar H. Parkman School

Edgar H. Parkman School serves students in grades three through five in Enfield, a car-oriented suburb north of Hartford. The school sits on a campus reached primarily by arterial road and highway access rather than within walking distance of a downtown; Enfield's civic life centers on Thompsonville, the historic village core now undergoing redevelopment alongside a new rail station, though most neighborhoods are served by subdivisions and commercial corridors built in the postwar era.

The school enrolls a mix of about half the students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, with a student body that is mostly white, with a notable share of Hispanic and multiracial students and smaller populations of Black and Asian students. Academically, Parkman's results show a pattern of uneven performance across grade levels and subjects. Grade four students performed notably stronger than grades three and five in both English language arts and math, with grade four reaching above the school-wide average in both subjects. Grades three and five showed lower performance, particularly in math where both grades fell below the midpoint. The school overall sits below the midpoint for overall proficiency when compared to other districts in the Capitol Planning Region, reflecting mixed results across its tested grades and subjects.

In English language arts, about three-fifths of grade four students reached proficiency, compared to about one-third of third graders and about half of fifth graders. Math proficiency follows a steeper cliff: grade four reached about halfway there, while grades three and five both landed near or below forty percent. In science, assessed only in grade five, about half the students reached proficiency. Participation in state testing is strong across grades, suggesting these results reflect actual student performance rather than testing gaps.

Enfield as a district faced significant budget pressure going into the 2024-25 school year. The town approved a budget increase well below the school board's request, forcing layoffs affecting more than just staffing numbers. The school's team teaching model at middle school was eliminated, and class sizes grew. The district partially restored positions for 2025-26, including some teachers, a sign of potential stabilization but also a signal that families in Enfield may want to track how staffing and resources evolve. Housing in the area carries moderate cost relative to regional benchmarks, though affordability varies by neighborhood. The town is investing in Thompsonville's revival and new transit connections, which may reshape growth patterns over the next several years.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 46% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 51% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 39% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 39% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 52% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 52%

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 54% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

This schoolEnfield 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 5Lower-income30%Higher-income46%16 pp gap