New Canaan Elementary Schools Among Top 100 In CT, U.S. News Says In New Ranking

NEW CANAAN, CT — Three New Canaan elementary schools are among the best public elementary schools in Connecticut, according to a new ranking Tuesday from U.S. News & World Report.

U.S. News researchers 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.

According to the report, South School in New Canaan ranked third on the list and West School ranked fourth, while East School ranked 17th.

The full list of top 100 public elementary schools in Connecticut can be viewed here.

The report includes about 47,000 public elementary schools ranked at the state and district levels based on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education.

For district-level rankings, at least two of the top-performing schools must rank in the top 75 percent of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for recognition.

“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.

The rankings methodology 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.

Includes prior reporting by Rich Kirby, Patch Staff