The top reported proficiency rate is 94% in Math. The lowest is 86% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Sherman School
Sherman School serves a small, cohesive community as the sole public school for pre-kindergarten through grade eight. The school sits in the historic center of Sherman, a deliberately rural, low-density town where families choose to live precisely for that character. Growth here is constrained by design, with large lot zoning and strong resident preference to keep the town agricultural and quiet. The median age is high, with many retirees and remote workers alongside a notable share of New York City weekenders. Resident composition is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic and multiracial students. Free and reduced lunch data were not available.
Academically, Sherman School's measured proficiency rates in the testing grades show mixed but generally solid performance. In grade three and four, which have the clearest reported results, math proficiency runs strong across the school. Grade four math sits particularly high. English language arts at grade four reflects a sound level, while grade eight ELA shows comparable performance. For grades five, six, seven, and eight, Connecticut's reporting rules suppress individual proficiency rates when cell sizes are small, which is the case here given the school's size. Where averages are reported across the school, overall proficiency in English and math sits in the mid-range, and science proficiency similarly reflects a middle position. The school participates fully in state assessments; participation rates are consistently high, and a few grades show slightly below-full rates without systematic pattern.
The testing data available positions Sherman School in the top quartile for overall proficiency when compared against the other districts in its county region. This is a real strength, particularly given that the school is a very small institution serving fewer than a couple hundred students across nine grades in a rural setting where test data by grade can be limited. The school's size brings both advantages and constraints: intact community feeling and close relationships with staff are typical of places this scale, but also enrollment small enough that the state suppresses some results to protect student privacy.
A major development is now reshaping the school and the town's financial picture. Voters approved a full "renovate as new" project in October 2024, after nearly identical plans were rejected in 2023, to modernize the decades-old building and address fundamental systems. Construction started in summer 2025 and is slated to run for several years. This project is driving significant tax increases across the town and district; a combined budget increase and an August 2025 request for additional funds tied to cost overruns signal that local property taxes will feel pressure for years ahead. Families considering a move to Sherman should weigh this renovation's effect on mill rates and affordability carefully. For context, the town had seen tax decreases in prior years before the renovation votes began, so the trajectory is changing.
The district has adopted the state-mandated Science of Reading approach to literacy instruction, reflecting curriculum and professional development work tied to the district's broader plan. This is a pedagogical shift in early reading instruction that families new to the school may want to understand more fully.
Sherman itself offers a specific setting. It is car-oriented, with a compact historic village center at the junction of Routes 37 and 39 but no gas station and few services beyond a small grocery and a few restaurants. Everyday errands require driving. Candlewood Lake, Connecticut's largest inland body of water, anchors recreation and sits at the town's edge, along with state parks and protected open space. Civic life concentrates around the Sherman Library, the school, and town hall, all within the historic district. There is no public transit in town; the nearest train station is roughly a half-hour away. The town has no high school; Sherman students transition to regional high schools such as New Milford, New Fairfield, or Shepaug Valley, or to technical and agriscience programs. Housing in the area is relatively expensive, with median home values above the state benchmark, and the owner-occupancy rate is high. New construction is slow, typically scattered single-family homes rather than subdivisions, and large-scale development proposals have been rejected by voters.
Enrollment at Sherman School is small, around a couple hundred students total, with no apparent Title I status and no specialized programs noted in the data provided. The school's peer environment is one where families tend to have chosen rural living explicitly and are invested in the town's deliberate low-growth character. For families seeking a small, intact K-8 school in a tight-knit, affluent, rural community and who can absorb rising local tax impacts, Sherman School offers that experience. For those prioritizing diverse peer groups, specialized program breadth, or lower housing costs, a parent may want to look elsewhere.
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