2 Fairfield Elementary Schools Among Top 5 In CT: New Ranking

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield's Sherman Elementary and Dwight Elementary schools are among the top five in Connecticut, according to a new ranking by U.S. News & World Report.

Sherman is ranked second behind Riverside School in Greenwich, while Dwight came in at #5. South School and West School, both in New Canaan, were the third and fourth best in the state.

A third Fairfield elementary school, Holland Hill, made the top 25 in the ranking, coming in at #23.

The publication based the 2026 ranking of the nation’s best public elementary schools on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. Elementary schools are considered either pre-K-5 or pre-K-6 in the analysis. For schools that have a wider grade span, only tests through fifth grade were considered.

The U.S. News report includes roughly 47,000 public elementary schools ranked at the state and district levels.

"The 2026 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings highlight institutions that excel in fostering student achievement and providing exceptional learning environments for all," U.S. News said of the report.

For the rankings' methodology, the publication focuses on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts, while accounting for student background and achievement in core subjects. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.

— Rich Kirby, Patch Staff, contributed to this report.