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What do students at Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy actually talk about outside of class?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
637
Middle
DISTRICT 564 · STATE 521
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NORWALK SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 090309000656
Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy
21 Hunters Lane, Norwalk, CT 06850 · (203) 847-3557 · Western Connecticut Planning Region
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL637 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 11% of Connecticut public middle schools
- DTest 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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
12.0:1
53 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.3:1 · STATE 11.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
62%
398 students
DISTRICT 52% · STATE 44%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 212 | 33% |
| Grade 7 | 206 | 32% |
| Grade 8 | 219 | 34% |
Student demographics
52%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 60% · 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
31.3%
CT avg 50.5%
Math
19.8%
CT avg 45.9%
What this means: On the CT Smarter Balanced, Connecticut's statewide test, about 31 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 20 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 Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy this school | 637 | 62.5% | N/A |
| Rippowam Middle School Stamford | 704 | 62.1% | N/A |
| Dolan School Stamford | 577 | 59.3% | N/A |
| Cloonan School Stamford | 447 | 61.5% | N/A |
| Turn of River School Stamford | 560 | 58.8% | N/A |
| West Rocks Middle School Norwalk | 657 | 53.7% | N/A |
Matched among Connecticut middle 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 Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Connecticut | In Western Connecticut Planning Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 19.8% | #154 of 174 | #25 of 29 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 31.3% | #152 of 173 | #23 of 29 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 637 | #55 of 181 | #13 of 30 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.0:1 | #128 of 169 | #27 of 30 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 52.2% | #80 of 169 | #15 of 30 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 62.5% | #30 of 180 | #1 of 29 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -7.9% | #89 of 133 | #16 of 24 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
637
-18 (-3%) vs 2020
+20% since 1990-91, when it was 529
Student : Teacher
12.0:1
was 11.3:1
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 | 637 | 53 | 12.0:1 | 62% (398) |
| 2023-24 | 622 | 54 | 11.5:1 | 61% (377) |
| 2022-23 | 644 | 59 | 10.9:1 | 58% (372) |
| 2020-21 | 655 | 58 | 11.3:1 | 74% (486) |
| 2017-18 | 692 | 56 | 12.4:1 | 62% (431) |
| 2015-16 | 666 | 54 | 12.3:1 | 63% (418) |
| 2010-11 | 667 | 58 | 11.5:1 | 49% (329) |
| 2000-01 | 624 | 49 | 12.7:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 529 | 46 | 11.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy.
Since 2017-18: students down 8% (692 to 637); teachers down 5% (56 to 53).
About Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy
Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy sits in Norwalk, Connecticut, and is classified as a middle school. It had 637 students in 2024-25, spanning grades 6 through 8. By comparison, middle schools in Connecticut enroll about 521 students on average.
Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy is one of 22 schools in Norwalk School District, which enrolls 11,341 students in total.
The student body at Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy is 66% Hispanic. After that, the student body is 16% Black, 10% White, 5% Asian, and 3% multiracial. Among all residents of Western Connecticut Planning Region, the Hispanic share is about 21%. A diversity index of 52% means there is a 52% chance two randomly chosen students at Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy are from different groups.
Its ratio of 12.0:1 is based on 53 full-time-equivalent teachers. Statewide, middle schools in Connecticut average 11.3:1. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 62%. On average, public schools in Western Connecticut Planning Region report 33%.
On the allk12 Grade, Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy lands at D, ahead of 11% of Connecticut public middle schools.
Western Connecticut Planning Region is the school's county. There, the median household earns about $128,188 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 56% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 5%. Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy shares Western Connecticut Planning Region with 148 other public schools.
Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy's closest public school neighbor is Concord Magnet School, less than a tenth of a mile away. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles.
The federal government classifies Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy's location as Suburb: Large.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy had a net loss of 18 students, or 3%.
This page is a place to ask questions and share updates about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies at Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Western Connecticut Planning Region at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
627,071
Census ACS
Median income
$128,188
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
56%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
149
90,520 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Norwalk School District
- Brien McMahon High SchoolHigh · 1,739 students
- Norwalk High SchoolHigh · 1,494 students
- West Rocks Middle SchoolMiddle · 657 students
- Nathan Hale Middle SchoolMiddle · 499 students
- Roton Middle SchoolMiddle · 463 students
- Jefferson Marine Science Elementary SchoolElementary · 457 students
Other schools in Norwalk
- Brien McMahon High SchoolHigh · 1,739 students
- Norwalk High SchoolHigh · 1,494 students
- West Rocks Middle SchoolMiddle · 657 students
- Nathan Hale Middle SchoolMiddle · 499 students
- Roton Middle SchoolMiddle · 463 students
- Jefferson Marine Science Elementary SchoolElementary · 457 students
Nearby schools
- Concord Magnet School0.0 mi · 388
- Kendall College & Career Academy0.5 mi · 416
- Fox Run Elementary School0.8 mi · 398
- Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School1.1 mi · 457
- Tracey Magnet School1.4 mi · 434
- West Rocks Middle School1.6 mi · 657
Frequently asked questions
About Ponus Ridge STEAM AcademyHow many students attend Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy?
Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy enrolls approximately 637 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy serve?
Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy is approximately 12.0:1 (53 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy?
At Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy, the student body is approximately 10% White, 66% Hispanic, 16% Black, 5% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy?
Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy is overseen by Norwalk School District in Western Connecticut Planning Region.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.