Hart School, Stamford CT - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Hart School

Hart School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Stamford, a city that has undergone rapid multifamily housing development and growth in recent years, particularly in downtown and South End waterfront neighborhoods. The school draws from a highly diverse student body, with a substantial share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and nearly three-fifths of students identifying as Hispanic. Asian, Black, and white students each make up smaller but meaningful shares of the enrollment. The school is compact for its grade band.

On Connecticut's state assessments in 2024-25, Hart's proficiency results across mathematics and English language arts sit below the state median. In mathematics, third-grade students posted the strongest performance, though still below half proficient, while performance declined slightly in fourth and fifth grades. English language arts followed a similar pattern, with third grade showing the highest proficiency and fifth grade the lowest. Science, tested only in fifth grade, performed better than ELA and math, with just over half of students reaching proficiency. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile when compared to other districts in the Western Connecticut Planning Region.

Stamford School District has undertaken a three-year curriculum overhaul affecting all schools. A major shift affecting Hart directly is the adoption of a science-of-reading elementary literacy program (Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts) being phased in by grade, with grade one and two already using it in 2024-25. This structured-literacy approach to foundational reading instruction differs from previous practice and shapes what families can expect for early elementary instruction. The district hired educators to rewrite curriculum across all content areas with attention to alignment and cultural responsiveness. These changes are still rolling out and may take time to show measurable impact on achievement.

Hart sits in Stamford's broader context of residential transition and economic diversity. Housing values in the 06902 zip code have risen moderately, and monthly rents remain significant relative to household income. The city has attracted both corporate headquarters and families seeking urban walkability mixed with urban schools. Stamford's downtown has walkable neighborhoods and public transit access, while suburban quarters of the city retain single-family character. The city's rapid growth in multifamily housing has brought demographic change to its schools. A parent considering Hart should expect a school serving a predominantly low-income, multicultural elementary population with recent curriculum reforms underway and proficiency results that suggest room for academic growth, particularly in literacy and mathematics. The school's performance data and the district's active curriculum work suggest a school in transition rather than one with established strong achievement outcomes.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 37% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 42% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 35% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 29% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 39% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 40% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 43% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

This schoolStamford 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 3Lower-income30%Higher-income45%15 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income44%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income21%Higher-income58%37 pp gap