Truman School, New Haven CT - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Truman School

Truman School is a PreK through grade 8 school in New Haven, Connecticut, serving a compact enrollment centered in the elementary grades with smaller middle school cohorts. The school draws a substantially economically disadvantaged population; a large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Hispanic with smaller Black, Asian, and white populations, reflecting New Haven's own demographics.

Academic results show systemic challenge across all tested subjects and grades. Math proficiency runs low across the school: in grade 3 it sits in the low teens, grade 4 in the mid-teens, grade 5 in the low teens, and grade 8 in single digits. English language arts is similarly weak, with grade 3 proficiency in the very low single digits, grade 4 around one in ten students, and grade 5 and 6 in the low double digits; grade 7 reaches into the mid-teens. Science proficiency, assessed in grades 5 and 8, falls around one in six students. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among districts in South Central Connecticut Planning Region. When viewed against the broader universe of county schools, Truman's results are substantially below the regional middle. A parent may want to look into with the school directly what instructional supports and interventions are in place, and what the school sees as its path forward.

On the positive side, the district undertook a deliberate overhaul of literacy instruction in 2023, shifting to a science-of-reading phonics-based approach and introducing a unified K-6 curriculum so that students across the district learn from the same materials rather than facing school-to-school variation. This initiative was driven by data showing a large share of third graders reading below grade level. Several years into the shift, the district has reported reading growth improvements. The structured literacy block now provides dedicated time for phonics, whole-group instruction, and small-group work in grades K through 3, which is the grade band where foundational skills matter most.

The district faces sustained budget pressure from the end of federal pandemic aid and rising personnel costs. A 2023 teachers' contract protects class sizes—capping them at 26 for K-2 and 27 for grades 3 through 8—through 2026, a real safeguard for families. However, unfilled vacant positions and ongoing budget shortfalls create staffing uncertainty and raise the risk of larger class sizes once that contract window closes. These are material considerations for families weighing the school's stability and instructional environment.

New Haven itself is a walkable downtown city anchored by Yale University, with dense historic neighborhoods, a strong civic center around the New Haven Green, and significant housing growth underway. The housing market has appreciated, and rents are rising. The city is adding substantial residential units toward a goal of thousands of new apartments over a decade, which is beginning to reshape the demographic and economic texture of some neighborhoods. This context shapes the families and resources that schools draw from.

Truman serves the residential neighborhoods surrounding downtown rather than a distinct catchment, and enrollment patterns reflect the broader population of New Haven Public Schools. Parents should understand that this school faces real academic headwinds and that systemic improvement is an ongoing effort rather than something already evident in results.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 318%

School 18% · District 21% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 20% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 13%

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 14% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 34 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 34%

School 4% · District 17% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 44 pts below state median · ▼ 41 pts below county median

Grade 412%

School 12% · District 20% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 45 pts below county median

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 23% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 47 pts below state median · ▼ 46 pts below county median

Grade 613%

School 13% · District 26% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 717%

School 17% · District 27% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 24% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 25% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

This schoolNew Haven 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.