Wilton Recognized as One of 100 U.S. School Districts Exceeding Pre-Pandemic Math and Reading Performance

The accolades keep coming as Wilton Public Schools is now being recognized nationally for its academic recovery in relation to the pandemic.

Now in its third year, the Education Recovery Scorecard, a project between researchers from Harvard University and Stanford University, named the Wilton School District as one of about 100 school districts in the country whose math and reading scores have exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

Wilton is one of only four Connecticut districts on the list, alongside Ellington, Tolland, and Weston School Districts.

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, Superintendent Kevin Smith wrote an email to his entire staff praising them for their work, along with a link to an NPR article speaking about the subject.

“I am incredibly proud — but not at all surprised — to see Wilton recognized among approximately 100 districts nationwide that are performing above pre-pandemic levels,” he wrote.  

“This achievement is a direct result of your focus, expertise, and exceptional commitment to our students,” he wrote.

The report looked at test scores from around 11,000 school districts in 43 states, tracking changes from the spring of 2019 to the spring of 2022, and the spring of 2022 to the spring of 2024.

Along with quantifying the extent of academic losses and gains in each respective time period, the research also shows how patterns varied by district poverty rate and student racial and economic background.

The ERS study was led by Thomas Kane, an economist and professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, along with Sean Reardon, a professor of poverty and inequality in education at Stanford University.

“Scores have declined far more in America’s middle- and low-income communities than in its wealthy ones,” Reardon said. “The good news is that it could have been worse: the federal investment in public schools during the pandemic paid off, limiting academic losses in high-poverty districts.”

According to the study, the average U.S. student remained nearly half a grade level behind pre-pandemic achievement in math and reading, as of the spring of 2024.

“The highest income decile districts were nearly four times more likely to have recovered in both math and reading than the lowest income decile districts,” the report said.

“Socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in math achievement have grown since the start of the pandemic, both within districts and across districts,” the report said, with a widespread rise in absenteeism slowing recovery, especially in high-poverty districts.

Smith sent the news out to staff and media with a subject line that read, “Tip o’ the Cap — Celebrating Your Tremendous Work.”

“On behalf of the Board of Education and our entire community, THANK YOU for the work you do every day to support student growth and success,” he wrote. “This recognition is a testament to your efforts, and I am truly grateful to be part of such an exceptional education community.”

Board of Education Chair Ruth DeLuca also expressed appreciation to the staff.

“Thank you, all!!” she wrote. “Truly a tremendous accomplishment.

“On behalf of the board and the entire Wilton community, thank you for your commitment and dedication to education and our children.”

UPDATE: The headline of this story was updated to clarify that the list of school districts recognized may not be comprehensive as the study included districts from 43 states.