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Schools›Connecticut›New Canaan
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NEW CANAAN SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 090270000534

West School

769 Ponus Ridge, New Canaan, CT 06840 · (203) 594-4410 · Western Connecticut Planning Region
GRADES PK–04ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL481 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

Enrollment
481
Elementary
DISTRICT 504 · STATE 378
Student : Teacher
11.6:1
41 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

GradeStudentsShare
Pre-K5411%
Kindergarten7616%
Grade 18919%
Grade 28818%
Grade 38417%
Grade 49019%

This year's kindergarten class (76) is 16% smaller than its 4th grade class (90).

Student demographics
30%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 37% · STATE 67% · US 70%
White
39983%
DISTRICT 79% · STATE 46% · US 43%
Hispanic
255%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 32% · US 30%
Black
41%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 12% · US 15%
Asian
194%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 5% · US 6%
Two+
327%
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Pacific Islander
20%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
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
Male
25252%
Female
22948%

School pathway

Students here typically continue to
West School→Saxe Middle School→New Canaan High School
Based on grade levels within New Canaan School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.

Discussions

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Test scores

CT Smarter Balanced 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded Standard
English Language Arts
93.1%
CT avg 50.5%
Math
93.7%
CT avg 45.9%

What this means: On the CT Smarter Balanced, Connecticut's statewide test, about 93 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 94 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 West School ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn ConnecticutIn Western Connecticut Planning Region
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
93.7%#3 of 522#3 of 78
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
93.1%#1 of 519#1 of 75
Enrollment
ranked largest first
481#123 of 613#26 of 94
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
11.6:1#186 of 558#32 of 89
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
30.3%#504 of 560#85 of 89
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-2.0%#353 of 378#62 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 2024-25
Enrollment
481
+18 (+4%) vs 2020
+26% since 1990-91, when it was 381
Student : Teacher
11.6:1
was 12.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2548141.311.6:1N/A
2023-2449938.912.8:1N/A
2022-2348341.911.5:11% (3)
2020-214633612.9:11% (3)
2017-1849139.812.3:11% (3)
2015-165474312.7:10% (0)
2010-114934211.7:1N/A
2000-015554013.9:1N/A
1990-913812714.1:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West School.

Since 2017-18: students down 2% (491 to 481); teachers up 4% (39.8 to 41.3).

About West School

At 769 Ponus Ridge in New Canaan, Connecticut, West School operates as a medium-sized elementary school. Students in pre-K through 4 attend, and enrollment is 481 students. The school's enrollment is 27% larger than the 378 average for elementary schools in Connecticut.

West School is one school in a 5-school district, New Canaan School District, which enrolls 4,040 students.

The student body at West School is 83% White. The rest of enrollment is 7% multiracial, 5% Hispanic, and 4% Asian. Among all residents of Western Connecticut Planning Region, the White share is about 61%. The school's diversity index is 30%, meaning two students picked at random have a 30% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.

The school's student-to-teacher ratio is about 11.6:1, with 41.3 full-time-equivalent teachers. That is lower than the 12.6:1 average for elementary schools in Connecticut.

allk12 grades West School an A+. The grade compares the school only with Connecticut public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.

Western Connecticut Planning Region has these Census figures: the median household income is $128,188, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 56% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 5%. Western Connecticut Planning Region is home to 149 public schools and about 90,520 public school students.

The closest public school to West School is Northeast School, about 1.6 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles.

West School is coded as Suburb: Large in federal locale data.

Enrollment at West School grew 4% between 2020-21 and 2024-25, from 463 to 481 students. Federal data show the ratio falling from 12.9:1 to 11.6:1.

Posts about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes are welcome on this page. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.

Western Connecticut Planning Region at a glance

View full county profile
Population
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

School name
West School
District
New Canaan School District
Address
769 Ponus Ridge, New Canaan, CT 06840
Phone
(203) 594-4410
County
Western Connecticut Planning Region
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–04
Total enrollment
481
Teachers (FTE)
41
Student–teacher ratio
11.6:1
Locale
21-Suburb: Large
NCES ID
090270000534
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in New Canaan School District
Other schools in New Canaan
Other West schools

4 other US public schools in 5 states are named West. West School is the largest of the 5.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About West School
How many students attend West School?
West School enrolls approximately 481 students in grades PK-04.
What grades does West School serve?
West School serves grades PK-04.
How many students per teacher at West School?
Approximately 11.6:1 students per teacher at West School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at West School?
At West School, the student body is approximately 83% White, 5% Hispanic, 1% Black, 4% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Is West School public or private?
West 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.
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