1
How has South School changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
477
Elementary
DISTRICT 504 · STATE 378
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NEW CANAAN SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 090270000533
South School
8 Farm Rd., New Canaan, CT 06840 · (203) 594-4313 · Western Connecticut Planning Region
GRADES KG–04ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL477 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 99% of Connecticut public elementary schools
- A+Test 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
10.8:1
44 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.4:1 · STATE 12.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
DISTRICT 0% · 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 | 88 | 18% |
| Grade 1 | 92 | 19% |
| Grade 2 | 106 | 22% |
| Grade 3 | 95 | 20% |
| Grade 4 | 96 | 20% |
This year's kindergarten class (88) is 8% smaller than its 4th grade class (96).
Student demographics
36%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 37% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within New Canaan School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
CT Smarter Balanced 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded StandardEnglish Language Arts
91.5%
CT avg 50.5%
Math
92.6%
CT avg 45.9%
What this means: On the CT Smarter Balanced, Connecticut's statewide test, about 92 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 93 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 →
Where South School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Connecticut | In Western Connecticut Planning Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 92.6% | #4 of 522 | #4 of 78 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 91.5% | #4 of 519 | #4 of 75 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 477 | #128 of 613 | #29 of 94 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.8:1 | #87 of 558 | #16 of 89 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 36.5% | #454 of 560 | #70 of 89 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -12.0% | #162 of 378 | #25 of 63 |
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
477
-40 (-8%) vs 2020
+20% since 1990-91, when it was 399
Student : Teacher
10.8:1
was 12.0:1
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 | 477 | 44.3 | 10.8:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 507 | 45.2 | 11.2:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 507 | 46.8 | 10.8:1 | 1% (3) |
| 2020-21 | 517 | 43 | 12.0:1 | 1% (3) |
| 2017-18 | 542 | 45.9 | 11.8:1 | 1% (3) |
| 2015-16 | 542 | 41 | 13.2:1 | 0% (0) |
| 2010-11 | 561 | 45 | 12.5:1 | N/A |
| 2000-01 | 542 | 40 | 13.6:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 399 | 33 | 12.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South School.
Since 2017-18: students down 12% (542 to 477); teachers down 3% (45.9 to 44.3).
About South School
South School is classified as an elementary school. It is located in New Canaan, Connecticut. Total enrollment is 477 students, and the grades served are kindergarten through 4. It has 26% more students than the average for elementary schools in Connecticut (about 378).
New Canaan School District counts 4,040 students in its 5 schools, and South School is one of them.
The largest group at South School is White students, at 79%. The remaining students are 7% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, and 6% Asian. Among people living in Western Connecticut Planning Region, the White share is about 61%. The diversity index for South School is 36%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
The student-to-teacher ratio is 10.8:1. The school has 44.3 full-time-equivalent teachers. By comparison, the average for elementary schools in Connecticut is 12.6:1.
South School earns an A+ on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 99% of Connecticut public elementary schools.
For Western Connecticut Planning Region, Census Bureau data show median household income comes to about $128,188, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 56%, and roughly 5% of residents are in poverty. The county has 149 public schools and about 90,520 students.
New Canaan High School sits about 0.2 miles from South School. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles.
By NCES locale, the school is Suburb: Large, or in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
An 8% drop took enrollment from 517 in 2020-21 to 477 in 2024-25. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 12.0:1 to 10.8:1.
This page is set up for the South School community to discuss homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Members of the school community can share what they know.
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 New Canaan School District
- Saxe Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,271 students
- New Canaan High SchoolHigh · 1,257 students
- East SchoolElementary · 554 students
- West SchoolElementary · 481 students
Other schools in New Canaan
- Saxe Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,271 students
- New Canaan High SchoolHigh · 1,257 students
- East SchoolElementary · 554 students
- West SchoolElementary · 481 students
Other South schools
5 other US public schools in 5 states are named South. South School is the largest of the 6.
- SouthStoneham, MA · 347 students
- South SchoolRockland, ME · 311 students
- SouthSomerset, MA · 242 students
- South SchoolLaurel, MT · 158 students
- South SchoolWestmont, IL · 53 students
Nearby schools
- New Canaan High School0.2 mi · 1,257
- Saxe Middle School0.3 mi · 1,271
- East School1.3 mi · 554
- West School1.9 mi · 481
- Ox Ridge Elementary School2.0 mi · 625
- Fox Run Elementary School2.2 mi · 398
Frequently asked questions
About South SchoolHow many students attend South School?
South School enrolls approximately 477 students in grades KG-04.
Is South School an elementary, middle, or high school?
South School is an elementary school covering grades KG-04.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at South School is approximately 10.8:1 (44 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at South School?
At South School, the student body is approximately 79% White, 7% Hispanic, 0% Black, 6% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Is South School public or private?
South School is a public K-12 school, overseen by New Canaan School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.