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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at John Barry School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
418
Elementary
DISTRICT 445 · STATE 378
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MERIDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 090240000445
John Barry School
124 Columbia St., Meriden, CT 06450 · (203) 237-8831 · South Central Connecticut Planning Region
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL418 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 55% of Connecticut public elementary schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ·Beats expectations Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Connecticut public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
14.4:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.6:1 · STATE 12.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
87%
363 students
DISTRICT 77% · STATE 44%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 64 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 66 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 63 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 70 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 74 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 81 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (64) is 21% smaller than its 5th grade class (81).
Student demographics
49%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 56% · STATE 67% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CT Smarter Balanced 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded StandardEnglish Language Arts
50.9%
CT avg 50.5%
Math
62.6%
CT avg 45.9%
What this means: On the CT Smarter Balanced, Connecticut's statewide test, about 51 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 63 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Connecticut schools, those numbers are about 51 and 46.
Source: CT Smarter Balanced. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Schools most like John Barry School
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Barry School this school | 418 | 86.8% | N/A |
| Multicultural Magnet School Bridgeport | 436 | 89.7% | N/A |
| Roger Sherman School Meriden | 457 | 84.5% | N/A |
| Chamberlain Elementary School New Britain | 402 | 79.4% | N/A |
| Smith Elementary School New Britain | 461 | 80.3% | N/A |
| Madison School Bridgeport | 451 | 89.8% | N/A |
Matched among Connecticut elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where John Barry School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Connecticut | In South Central Connecticut Planning Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 62.6% | #193 of 522 | #29 of 87 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 50.9% | #267 of 519 | #39 of 86 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 418 | #211 of 613 | #29 of 96 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.4:1 | #464 of 558 | #69 of 91 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 49.2% | #325 of 560 | #64 of 92 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 86.8% | #36 of 594 | #7 of 96 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -13.8% | #128 of 378 | #21 of 59 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
418
-64 (-13%) vs 2020
-34% since 1990-91, when it was 632
Student : Teacher
14.4:1
was 14.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 418 | 29 | 14.4:1 | 87% (363) |
| 2023-24 | 451 | 33.6 | 13.4:1 | 87% (394) |
| 2022-23 | 472 | 35.6 | 13.3:1 | 87% (410) |
| 2020-21 | 482 | 34 | 14.2:1 | 89% (430) |
| 2017-18 | 485 | 36.1 | 13.4:1 | 85% (413) |
| 2015-16 | 476 | 37 | 12.9:1 | 94% (447) |
| 2010-11 | 508 | 35 | 14.5:1 | 86% (439) |
| 2000-01 | 628 | 41 | 15.3:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 632 | 33 | 19.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for John Barry School.
Since 2017-18: students down 14% (485 to 418); teachers down 20% (36.1 to 29).
About John Barry School
John Barry School is a medium-sized elementary school in Meriden, Connecticut, (ZIP code 06450). It covers pre-K through 5, with a total enrollment of 418 students.
Meriden School District includes 13 schools. Together they enroll 8,036 students.
Hispanic students make up a majority at John Barry School, at 69%. The remaining shares are 12% Black, 10% White, and 7% multiracial. Census estimates put the Hispanic share of South Central Connecticut Planning Region's population at about 20%. John Barry School's diversity index is 49%, against a US figure of 70%.
The school reports 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to about 14.4 students per teacher. The school has more students per teacher than the 12.6:1 average for elementary schools in Connecticut. The free or reduced-price lunch share, often used to gauge student poverty, is 87%. It compares with 51% for public schools in South Central Connecticut Planning Region.
The allk12 Grade for John Barry School is B. Compared with Connecticut public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 55% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
South Central Connecticut Planning Region census figures show that the median household income is $88,197, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 42% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 7%. South Central Connecticut Planning Region is home to 152 public schools and about 72,909 public school students.
The shortest distance from John Barry School to another public school is about 0.8 miles, to Benjamin Franklin School. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles.
Federal records code the school's setting as Suburb: Large.
Federal data show a 13% enrollment decrease, from 482 in 2020-21 to 418 in 2024-25.
Community posts for John Barry School can cover enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
South Central Connecticut Planning Region at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
570,598
Census ACS
Median income
$88,197
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
42%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
152
72,909 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Meriden School District
- Francis T. Maloney High SchoolHigh · 1,291 students
- Orville H. Platt High SchoolHigh · 1,191 students
- Edison Middle SchoolMiddle · 773 students
- Lincoln Middle SchoolMiddle · 684 students
- Casimir Pulaski SchoolElementary · 539 students
- Washington Middle SchoolMiddle · 536 students
Other schools in Meriden
- Francis T. Maloney High SchoolHigh · 1,291 students
- Orville H. Platt High SchoolHigh · 1,191 students
- Edison Middle SchoolMiddle · 773 students
- H. C. Wilcox Technical High SchoolHigh · 753 students
- Lincoln Middle SchoolMiddle · 684 students
- Casimir Pulaski SchoolElementary · 539 students
Nearby schools
- Benjamin Franklin School0.8 mi · 357
- Lincoln Middle School1.2 mi · 684
- Israel Putnam School1.2 mi · 445
- Roger Sherman School1.3 mi · 457
- Orville H. Platt High School1.4 mi · 1,191
- Washington Middle School1.4 mi · 536
Frequently asked questions
About John Barry SchoolHow many students attend John Barry School?
John Barry School enrolls approximately 418 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does John Barry School serve?
John Barry School serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at John Barry School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at John Barry School is approximately 14.4:1 (29 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at John Barry School?
At John Barry School, the student body is approximately 10% White, 69% Hispanic, 12% Black, 1% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is John Barry School in?
John Barry School is part of Meriden School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.