Schools in Fairfield County, CT

Fairfield County is the most populous county in the state, which corresponds to its having the most number of students among all eight counties in Connecticut.

In terms of the number of schools, Fairfield County ranks second with a total of 383 schools, a little bit behind the 428 schools of Hartford County and just slightly ahead of New Haven County, which has a total of 378 schools.

Public Schools

There are currently 248 public schools in Fairfield County that are served by over 30 public school districts with about 147,461 students. The school breakdown is as follows: 159 elementary schools, 44 middle schools, and 45 high schools.

Not included in the total number of schools are the 6 charter schools that receive public funding but operate independently of the established public school system.

Minority enrollment is 42% of the student body, of which a majority is Hispanic, which is more than the Connecticut state average of 41%. Consequently, Fairfield County public schools have a diversity score of 0.44, which is higher than the Connecticut average of 0.4.

In terms of performance, Fairfield County has six public schools that are National Blue Ribbon Schools, which are schools that have been recognized by the Department of Education for achieving superior standards of academic excellence. These are:

• High Horizons Magnet School
• Hindley Elementary School
• Jefferson Magnet School
• Mill Hill School
• Multicultural Magnet School
• Old Greenwich School

Four public school districts received the highest ratings from GreatSchools.org. These are:

• Darien School District
• Monroe School District
• New Canaan School District
• Regional School District 09

The GreatSchools.org rating is based on test scores and other available data, including student academic growth and college readiness.

Private Schools

Fairfield County has about 130 private schools serving 25,669 students, with 105 elementary schools and 25 high schools. 52% of these private schools are religiously affiliated, with Roman Catholic and Christian being the most common. Some private schools are gender-specific, which can be all-boys or all-girls only schools.

13 private schools in Fairfield County have been honored with a National Blue Ribbon Award. These are:

These National Blue Ribbon Schools were recognized “based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.”