Harry S. Fisher Elementary School, Terryville CT

Original Research by School Decision on Harry S. Fisher Elementary School

Harry S. Fisher Elementary School serves students in grades three through five in Terryville, a moderate-income, suburban residential village in the town of Plymouth in Litchfield County. The school enrolls a student body of roughly that size for an upper-elementary school, with a majority of students living in the surrounding neighborhood of small-to-medium single-family homes and small apartment buildings built largely in mid-century decades.

The school's state assessment results show broad challenges in proficiency across tested subjects. In math, proficiency declines noticeably as students progress: third grade proficiency is roughly half of all tested students, fourth grade drops to under half, and fifth grade falls further. English language arts proficiency follows a similar pattern, with third grade around two-fifths proficient and fifth grade near one-third. Fifth grade science proficiency stands near one-third. School participation rates across all assessments are very high, above nine in ten students in each grade and subject, indicating students are taking the tests. Across all tested grades and subjects, the school's overall proficiency sits at the bottom quartile relative to the other districts in the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, the set of districts to which it is compared.

Roughly half of the school's enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the moderate-income character of the surrounding community. The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller but meaningful share of Hispanic students, and very small numbers of Black and Asian students. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not available; a parent may want to ask the school directly about how these populations are served.

The surrounding town has experienced steady decline in population in recent years, though active-adult and age-restricted housing development has begun. Property tax burdens have risen notably in recent years and are expected to hold at elevated levels. Terryville retains its historic downtown spine along Main Street and hosts civic anchors including the town library, Baldwin Park as the village green, and the Terryville Country Fair, an annual event held on the Lions Club fairgrounds. Most residents drive to work, reflecting car-dependent land use, though the town has zoned for walkability improvements along Route 6. Employment opportunities pull outward toward Bristol and Waterbury; most working residents commute out. Housing in the area carries moderate purchase prices relative to state benchmarks but is moderately expensive relative to national averages.

The school is a regular public school in the Plymouth School District, which funds its schools through the municipal property-tax budget. No data on specific programs, staffing ratios, school climate, or attendance was available in the provided materials. A parent considering this school may want to inquire directly with the district and school about curriculum, instructional approaches, and support services to understand the learning environment and how the school addresses the proficiency gaps evident in the assessment data.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 52%

▼ 2 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 44%

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

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 25%

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

English language arts

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 41%

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

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 46%

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

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 28%

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

Science

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 28%

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

This schoolPlymouth 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 5Lower-income18%Higher-income35%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income50%Higher-income54%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income21%Higher-income27%6 pp gap