Eli Whitney School, Stratford CT

Original Research by School Decision on Eli Whitney School

Eli Whitney School is a K-6 elementary school in Stratford, serving an enrollment of about 500 students across seven grade levels. The school draws from a diverse student population, with close to equal shares of white and Hispanic students, a meaningful share of Black students, and a quarter of the enrollment qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Connecticut administers state assessments in English language arts, mathematics, and science. At Eli Whitney, math results across grades 3-6 show proficiency rates ranging from about half in fifth grade to close to three-quarters in fourth and sixth grades. Combined across tested grades, math proficiency runs in the mid-to-upper range. English language arts results are somewhat lower, with proficiency ranging from about half in fifth grade to close to seven-tenths in sixth grade, and a combined proficiency around seven-tenths across the school. Science results, assessed in fifth grade only, came in below both math and ELA. The school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among districts in the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region.

Grade progression shows variability worth noting. Fifth grade dips notably in both ELA and math, compared to the grades immediately before and after, a pattern that may reflect curriculum transition or cohort factors. A parent may want to look into what the school identifies as drivers of this dip and what supports are in place. Kindergarten through second grade are not state-tested, so early literacy progress is not visible in these results. The district has recently shifted its K-3 literacy approach to the Science of Reading aligned with Connecticut's Right to Read law, training teachers through a partnership with HILL for Literacy, so parents with younger children are looking at a district-wide pedagogical change underway.

Stratford itself is a waterfront Fairfield County town with an 18-mile coastline, split between denser neighborhoods near Bridgeport and upper-middle-income suburban areas to the north. The housing market sits above state and national benchmarks, with homeownership common. The town is undergoing transit-oriented housing growth centered on the Metro-North station downtown. Sikorsky Aircraft (now Lockheed Martin) is the largest employer, anchoring the local aerospace and defense industry.

The district has experienced contentious budget cycles, with repeated cuts to staffing and programs. Most visibly, in 2024 the district eliminated all remaining elementary and high school librarian positions, replacing them with technology integration specialists. This is a lasting change in the school support landscape that affects access to library and media-literacy services. The district continues to face funding pressures that have resulted in staffing reductions and program reductions, and families are weighing ongoing budget volatility as part of their school choice decisions. These are not new gaps but ongoing structural realities of the district's resource environment.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 35% · ▲ 29 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 37% · ▲ 39 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 45 pts above county median

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 28% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 31% · ▲ 41 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 50 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 31% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 36% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 547%

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

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

Grade 669%

School 69% · District 39% · ▲ 29 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

This schoolStratford 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-income49%Higher-income58%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income54%Higher-income67%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income42%Higher-income50%8 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income58%Higher-income70%12 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income65%Higher-income80%15 pp gap