Key Findings:
- Wilton Public Schools ranked second among K-12 districts statewide and fourth overall based on Next Generation Accountability System ratings recently released by the Connecticut State Department of Education.
- Middlebrook and Wilton High School both ranked second statewide — and ranked #1 among their peer schools in Wilton’s District Reference Group. Middlebrook was recognized as a “School of Distinction.”
- Student growth and achievement gaps remain district priorities despite Wilton’s high overall standing.
Why It Matters: The state’s accountability ratings provide a broader measure of school and district performance than test results alone, and guide priorities for Wilton schools to improve outcomes for all students, including those with high needs.
On Oct. 27, the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) released its 2025-26 performance ratings for school districts across the state.
The results paint an impressive portrait of Wilton Public Schools‘ performance across academic achievement, student engagement and preparation for postsecondary success.
Next Generation Accountability: An Overview
The findings are based on Connecticut’s Next Generation Accountability System, which measures school and district performance across 12 “indicators” for a multidimensional picture of student success. Beyond just academic achievement, the indicators include absenteeism, physical fitness, arts access, and college and career readiness, among other factors.
Schools earn points on the indicators applicable to their grade levels, with performance measured against established targets. The overall Accountability Index score is calculated as the percentage of total points earned across all indicators.
According to EdSight‘s indicator overview, the system does not give equal weight to each indicator. Academic achievement and growth (indicators 1 and 2) account for 55% of a district’s overall score — 800 of the 1,450 possible points. Within the 800 academic points, growth (500 points) is more heavily weighted than achievement (300 points). That emphasis on growth has significant implications for high-performing districts like Wilton, as discussed later in this story.
District Performance
Wilton earned an overall Accountability Index score of 87.5 — far above the state average (72.2) and surpassing the state target (85).
Wilton’s score was the fourth highest in the state, and one of only 10 districts statewide to beat the target score of 85:
Within Wilton’s District Reference Group (DRG), Wilton’s Accountability Index was second only to New Canaan (88.7), though Darien (85.9) and Weston (85.3) also made the top 10. Ridgefield (84.6) and Westport (82.8) fell just below the state target, but still high above the state average.
Wilton Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Smith said he was “very pleased to see that we were, once again, among the very top performing districts in the state.”
He noted two of the top three districts aren’t necessarily comparable districts for Wilton: the Union district is a single K-8 school, while the Andover district is limited to K-6. Their secondary schools are included in other regional school districts. In Smith’s view, that leaves only New Canaan ahead of Wilton.
“I see New Canaan as the top performing K-12 district, and we’re right behind them,” Smith said. “It is a very positive empirical indicator of the strength of our academic program and affirmation of the strategic efforts we’ve made [over] the last number of years.”
“I am very proud of our teachers and staff who work so diligently to support students at every level,” he added.
Wilton’s Accountability Index score has been consistently high over the past three years, though slightly below previous peaks in 2014-15 (89.8) and 2021-22 (89.9). Since the accountability system was first implemented in 2014-15, Wilton’s score has only dipped below the state target once, and has always been above the state average.
Note: The academic achievement and growth indicators are based largely on standardized assessments that don’t begin until third grade. While Miller-Driscoll does contribute some points toward the district‘s scores, the overall results are driven by the upper grades.
Middlebrook Selected as “School of Distinction”
Middlebrook (83.6) was ranked second among all middle schools statewide — and the highest of all middle schools within Wilton’s DRG. New Canaan’s Saxe Middle School (82.2), Ridgefield’s Scotts Ridge Middle School (82.1) and Weston Middle School (79.5) were also in the top 10.
Middlebrook was one of 138 schools at all grade levels named as a “School of Distinction.”
The CSDE recognizes schools in three categories: high academic performance, significant improvement, and strong student growth. Middlebrook was recognized in the high performance category. Performance alone does not automatically qualify for Schools of Distinction. Additional criteria must be met, such as maintaining at least 95% participation in ELA, math and science testing assessments — something Wilton schools have sometimes narrowly missed.
Cider Mill and Wilton High School did not make the cut for the latest Schools of Distinction list, though Cider Mill did earn the designation for the 2021-22 and 2023-24 school years.
The Growth Challenge
Middlebrook was recognized for high achievement, but not growth — which measures students’ progress and includes closing achievement gaps against state targets, both overall and among students with “high needs,” including students with disabilities (roughly 17% of Wilton students), English learners (1.5%), or students eligible for free or reduced-price meals (2%). [Note: these groups can overlap. The net percentage was not reported in the CSDE data accessed by GMW.]
Smith highlighted the challenges for Wilton to earn distinction in the growth category.
“The state sets annual targets for districts to close the achievement [gaps] and that’s where the growth score is derived,” Smith said.
“2026 was an outlier year for us in that our growth scores weren’t as strong as they have been for the preceding four years,” Smith said. “This is an area of significant focus for us this year.”
The latest Accountability Index data reinforced what the district already knew about those achievement gaps based on the most recent standardized test results.
“The Accountability Index didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know. We have very good plans in place to both continue to raise overall achievement and address achievement gaps,” Smith said.
Like WHS, none of the high schools in Wilton’s DRG were named Schools of Distinction, despite their strong academic performance. Achievement gaps for high-needs students were also evident across all of the districts in the DRG, not just Wilton.
For detailed data on growth measures and gaps for high-needs students, see the charts posted later in this story.
WHS Ranks #2
Even without the School of Distinction status, Wilton High School’s Accountability Index ranks at the very top of Connecticut’s high schools, second only to Connecticut IB Academy, an East Hartford magnet school which offers the International Baccalaureate diploma.
With a score of 93.1, WHS outperformed every other high school in Wilton’s DRG. Reflecting the competitiveness of the DRG, Darien (92.0), New Canaan (91.2), Weston (90.9) and Ridgefield (90.3) all broke the top 10:
One of the few targets WHS missed was on “arts access.” Smith says that’s no reflection on the school’s offerings, but the choices many students make for college preparation.
“Arts access is a conundrum,” Smith said. “We offer an expansive catalogue of arts courses and our students perform and produce at exceptionally high levels. The majority of students take courses they believe will best set them up for college admissions. They also have to meet the state requirements for PE and health, and now personal finance. None of those are bad, but arts and other electives can be crowded out as a result.”
Cider Mill
Cider Mill ranked third statewide among schools serving grades 3-5 , but fell just below the state target score of 85. Weston Intermediate School made the top 10, but like Cider Mill, was below the state target.
Comprehensive View
Smith says the Accountability Index is most valuable for the “comprehensive” view it provides — beyond just academic performance.
“What I do find helpful is the set of comprehensive measures. It reveals the overall strength of our system of education here in Wilton and also illuminates specific areas for further study,” he said. “I appreciate the longitudinal look at the Accountability Index data because that can help chart a course for improvement.”
Smith cited several examples where the district has acted upon Accountability Index results with measurable impact.
“Last year, I noticed that our physical fitness data seemed to be depressed. I passed the data to our PE/health staff and asked them to analyze it and put together an improvement plan. They did, and we saw exceptional results this year,” Smith reported.
In fact, Wilton had the highest physical fitness score (79.5%) within the DRG — one of only two DRG districts above the state target, as shown in the chart below.
Smith also cited chronic absenteeism as an area the district sought to improve with stronger attendance monitoring systems and proactive outreach to families. Wilton now has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (3.9%) across the DRG, including the lowest rate among High Needs students (6.6%). The rate was just 2.2% at WHS.
Detailed Scores for Wilton Schools
Detailed Scores for Wilton’s DRG
Statewide Trends
A CSDE press release noted the statewide average Accountability Index score of 72.2 increased slightly for the third consecutive year, up from 69.7 in 2021–22.
However, it still has not returned to 2018-19 pre-pandemic levels, when the score was 74.2 — or its 2014-15 peak of 76.1.
CSDE is touting statewide progress in 2025-26 on a number of factors, including:
- Academic achievement: Students continued to improve in English language arts, mathematics, and science.
- Attendance: Chronic absenteeism declined for the fourth consecutive year.
- High school graduation: More students graduated within four years, while more ninth-grade students remained on track to graduate on time.
- College and career readiness: More students entered postsecondary education and demonstrated readiness for education and training beyond high school.
- Well-roundedness: Results improved in physical fitness and participation in the arts.
Want to see all of the data for every district in Connecticut, including historical data? Explore the Accountability Index dashboard on EdSight or click “Export All Schools and Districts” to download a spreadsheet containing all the 2025-2026 data.
