Public education in Connecticut

K-12 education in Connecticut

Education facts

State superintendent: Charlene Russell-Tucker

Number of students: 486,990

Number of teachers: 39,049

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:12

Number of school districts: 169

Number of schools: 935

Graduation rate: 89%

Per-pupil spending: $21,346

See also

Connecticut Department of Education • List of school districts in Connecticut • Connecticut • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in Connecticut Glossary of education terms

Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of June 2015.

The Connecticut public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, Connecticut had 486,990 students enrolled in a total of 935 schools in 169 school districts. There were 39,049 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 12 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, Connecticut spent on average $21,346 per pupil.^[1] The state's graduation rate was 89 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.^[2]

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Connecticut compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.

Academic performance

The sections below do not contain the most recently published data on this subject. If you would like to help our coverage grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia.

Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The chart below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island), Connecticut students fared worse nearly across the board than those in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, but better than those in Rhode Island.^[3]

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Connecticut and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.^[3][4][5]

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.^[6]

Connecticut schools reported a graduation rate of 85.5 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, second highest among its neighboring states.

In Connecticut, more students took the SAT than the ACT in 2013, earning an average SAT score of 1,532.

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Connecticut was lower than the national average at 1.9 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 2.1 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.^[7]

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in Connecticut

School choice options in Connecticut included charter schools, inter-district and intra-district open enrollment policies and some online learning programs. In addition, about 10.89 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.^[8]

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.^[9]

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

Connecticut is not one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Funding and expenditures

See also: Connecticut state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.^[10][11]

Connecticut spent approximately 14.1 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. The state school systems' revenue came primarily from local funds. Connecticut had the greatest spending per pupil during fiscal year 2013 when compared to its neighboring states.

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.^[11]

In Connecticut, the primary source of school system revenue came from local funds, at $5.8 billion. Over half of Connecticut's revenue came from local sources, which was similar to revenue trends in neighboring states.

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.^[12]

Public education expenditures in Connecticut totaled approximately $10.3 billion in fiscal year 2012. Compared to its neighboring states, Connecticut had the second highest total expenditures during fiscal year 2012.

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Connecticut, the average salary decreased by 1.4 percent.^[14]

Organizations

State agencies

The Connecticut State Department of Education serves as the "administrative arm of the Connecticut State Board of Education." The Department of Education distributes funds to the state's school districts.^[15]

The Connecticut Commissioner of Education is the executive officer of the Department of Education. The Commissioner is recommended by the State Board of Education and appointed by the governor to four-year terms. Dianna Wentzell was appointed to the position in 2015.^[16]

The State Board of Education is composed of 13 members.

• At least two members must have experience in manufacturing or a trade offered through the Technical High School System.
• One must have a background in vocational agriculture.
• Two must be nonvoting Grade 12 student members.

Voting members of the board serve four-year terms, while the nonvoting student members serve one-year terms. The Commissioner of Education serves as an ex officio member of the board. All members are appointed by the governor.^[17]

Unions

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Connecticut ranked 17th overall for union power and influence, or "strong," which was in the second of five tiers.^[18]

The main unions related to the Connecticut school system are the Connecticut Education Association (CEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), and AFT Connecticut, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. For the 2003 tax period, CEA had: $16.56 million in total revenue, $12.45 million in total expenses and $32.22 million in total assets.^[19] For the same period, AFT Connecticut had: $4.36 million in total revenue, $4.53 million in total expenses and $3.75 million in total assets.^[20]

The teacher unions have repeatedly brought the "Project Opening Doors" program to court for offering financial incentives for passing AP tests to students and teachers.^[21]

List of local Connecticut school unions:^[22]

• Connecticut Education Association
• AFT Connecticut
• Norwalk Federation Of Teachers
• West Hartford Education Association
• New Haven Federation of Teachers
• AFT Local 4200
• Hartford Federation of Teachers, Local 1018

Government sector lobbying

See also: Connecticut government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and the Connecticut Association of School Personnel Administrators.

Studies and reports

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 used six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Connecticut received a score of 87.5, or a B+ average in the "chance for success" category. This was above the national average. Excluding the chance for success category, the state's highest score was in "school finance" at 86.8, or a B+ average. The lowest score was in the teaching profession at 70.8, or a C- average. Connecticut's school finance score was the highest when compared to its neighboring states, narrowly beating Rhode Island's score of 86.5. The chart below displays all of the scores of Connecticut and its surrounding states.^[23]

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

Connecticut has three types of school districts: regional school districts, city school systems and town school systems. Regional school districts are organized by a joint referendum of two or more towns and are considered separate local governments with the ability to determine fiscal needs and appropriate funds. City and town school systems, however, are dependent upon their municipal governments and must seek approval from the city or town budget-making authority on financial matters.^[24]

School board composition

Connecticut school board members are generally elected by residents of the school district, although if there is a vacancy, the remaining school board members must appoint someone to serve the vacant position's unexpired term.^[25] School boards may have three, six, nine or twelve members, with a third of the members up for election every two years, allowing members to serve six-year terms.^[26]

Term limits

Connecticut does not impose term limits on school board members.^[27]

Elections

See also: Connecticut school board elections, 2024

No Connecticut school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2024.

Our coverage scope for local elections continues to grow, and you can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot tool to see what school board elections we are covering in your area.

Path to the ballot

To qualify as a school board candidate in Connecticut, an individual must:^[28]

• Be a registered voter.
• Not be employed by the district he or she seeks to represent.

School board candidates can file to get on the ballot in a number of ways. They can file with an established political party, petition onto the ballot or become a write-in. If petitioning or becoming a write-in candidate, nomination documents must be filed with the town clerk of the municipal government corresponding to the school district election.^[29]

Campaign finance

Candidates must file a Registration by Candidate (SEEC Form 1) with the town clerk of their local municipality within 10 days of becoming a candidate. On that form, candidates must designate if they will be registering a candidate committee or filing an exemption from forming a candidate committee. To file the exemption from forming a candidate committee, candidates must indicate one of the following:

• A town committee or political slate committee will be their sole funding source.
• They will be funding their campaign using personal funds.
• They do not intend on receiving or spending any funds, including their own money.
• They do not intend on receiving or spending funds in excess of $1,000.

All candidate committees and any candidates who filed exemption from forming a candidate committee but spent over $1,000 for their campaign from personal funds must file periodic disclosure statements detailing campaign finances with their town clerks.^[30]

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Connecticut state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of Connecticut ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked no ballot measures relating to education matters in Connecticut.

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Connecticut education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

• Historical public education information in Connecticut
• Connecticut state budget and finances
• Connecticut Department of Education
• List of school districts in Connecticut
• School choice in Connecticut
• Charter schools in Connecticut
• Connecticut
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links

• Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE)
• Connecticut State Board of Education
• Connecticut School Choice (CSDE) (dead link)
• Connecticut School and District Data (CSDE)
• Connecticut Education Staff Data and Salaries (CSDE)
• Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium
• Connecticut Virtual Learning Center

Footnotes

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