Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School, Groton CT

Original Research by School Decision on Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School

Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Groton, a mixed community anchored by General Dynamics Electric Boat, Pfizer's research campus, and the Naval Submarine Base. The school is part of a district-wide shift completed in 2021 that closed aging elementary buildings and converted all five elementary schools into intra-district magnet schools with distinct themes. Catherine Kolnaski carries a STEAM focus, though all five schools follow the same core curriculum; families select among them through an annual lottery rather than being assigned by zone.

The enrollment is small for its grade band, with roughly equal numbers in each grade from kindergarten through fifth. Just over half the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting economic diversity. The student population is racially and ethnically mixed, with no single group constituting a clear majority. Specific counts for students receiving special education or classified as English learners are not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about its services in these areas.

The school's academic proficiency across tested grades and subjects, taken as a whole, sits above the midpoint among school districts in Southeastern Connecticut. Math proficiency across grades three through five hovers around the mark where about half the students in each grade tested reached proficiency, with scale scores suggesting steady performance as students advance. English language arts shows similar patterns in grades three and four, then strengthens noticeably in fifth grade, where proficiency rises. Science, tested only in fifth grade, is the strongest area, with proficiency clearly exceeding math and ELA results. Participation rates in state assessments are very high across all grades and subjects.

The broader context matters for families considering the school. Groton itself is in the middle of a major staffing surge driven by Electric Boat's expansion and military growth, with the town actively recruiting housing to convert commuting workers into residents. The downtown corridor along Route 1 is undergoing mixed-use redevelopment, and multiple apartment communities have opened or been renovated. Housing values have risen modestly in recent years. This growth is likely to shape school enrollment and neighborhood character for years ahead. The district also recently launched a new Mary Morrisson Early Childhood School for four-year-olds, expanding public pre-K by about fifty seats in 2026-2027, and runs an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme across the middle and high schools, a curriculum continuity families might value.

Catherine Kolnaski is a relatively new facility, having opened in September 2021 as part of the district's modernization plan. It sits in a town with ready access to shoreline recreation, a public library, and transit connections to New London. Families choosing this school would be entering a magnet model in a district committed to themed choice-based elementary education, with the understanding that it shares campuses and curriculum with other magnet schools rather than operating as an independent program.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 47% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 52% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 47% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 43% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 54% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 58% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Science

Grade 567%

School 67% · District 61% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

This schoolGroton 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 3Lower-income39%Higher-income63%24 pp gap