Original Research by School Decision on Union School
Union School is a small, combined pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade public school serving Connecticut's least populated and most rural town. The school's enrollment is small, drawing from a deeply forested, mountain-ringed community where families live on large wooded lots, many abutting state forest, and where homes are clustered along quiet country roads rather than in any developed center. The school building itself is new, constructed in recent years, and stands as one of the few civic anchors in a town where daily life revolves around natural areas like Bigelow Hollow State Park and Mashapaug Lake, the free public library, and a scattered handful of town institutions.
The school serves just over fifty students across its nine grade bands, from pre-K through eighth grade. The student body is predominantly white, with small numbers of Hispanic and multiracial students and one Asian student; no data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility or English learner status was available. The small cohort size is noteworthy: a classroom at any given grade typically holds only a handful of children, a characteristic that shapes peer experience, classroom dynamics, and the school's ability to offer typical program breadth.
State testing data for most grades is suppressed by Connecticut's data policy when enrollment in a tested grade falls below a reporting threshold, reflecting the school's small size. Only eighth grade proficiency results appear in full: a solid majority of eighth graders tested in mathematics and English language arts. In the sole year of available trend data, the school showed a math proficiency rate above the two-thirds mark and an ELA rate near that threshold across all tested grades combined. Science testing occurs in fifth and eighth grade but results are similarly suppressed for disclosure reasons. A parent may want to speak directly with the school about academic performance and curriculum, since the aggregate data available is limited.
The school's location in Union carries distinctive implications for families. The town itself is stable in population, forested, and oriented almost entirely toward single-family residential living on large lots. There is no walkable downtown; the school sits along Buckley Highway alongside the town library, town office, church, and volunteer fire department. Most residents commute to jobs elsewhere, and many work remotely. Housing in the area has appreciated modestly, with values in the mid-range for Connecticut but affordable compared to the state median. The surrounding region is quiet and naturalistic, appealing to families seeking rural character and outdoor access, but lacking typical suburban amenities like restaurants, shops, or walkable gathering spaces.
A significant structural fact shapes the experience of any family with children in Union School: the district operates no high school. Students complete eighth grade at Union School and then transition out of district, typically to Woodstock Academy, Tolland High School, or E.O. Smith High School. During 2023-2024, the district conducted a formal, multi-meeting review of these options, including community conversations, school tours, student shadowing, and cost comparisons, ultimately selecting a designated high school for the district. This decision is a permanent feature of attending Union School; families should understand that ninth grade marks a transition not just in grade level but in school identity and location.
The school has recently adopted a new reading program, reflecting an intentional shift in early literacy instruction that will shape how the youngest students learn to read.
State assessment data limitations and the small enrollment mean that a full academic picture from standardized testing alone is incomplete. Families considering Union School should view the public data as one piece and seek direct conversation with the school about curriculum, academic support, teaching approaches, and how the intimate peer environment serves students' learning needs across the ability spectrum.
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