2023 Best Public Schools in Behind The Rocks

• West Hartford School District, CT•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.91 out of 5  340 reviews

Alum: Felt challenged and supported. Happy with the diversity of thought as well as student background. Lots of opportunities for growth in academics, social learning, and athletics. The teachers were very supportive!... Read 340 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 1,451

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Capitol Region Education Coun, CT•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 3.68 out of 5  108 reviews

Senior: Teachers work hard to help you and they are very willing to provide extra support outside of class. Many opportunities for extracurricular and service events. School supplies are usually available and there are mental health and college guidance resources available. Overall, good school! My problems lie more with the district heads and their guidelines and restrictions.... Read 108 reviews

• grade A

• Students 776

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• West Hartford School District, CT•

• 6-8

• grade A

• Students 349

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• West Hartford School District, CT•

• PK, K-5

• grade B+

• Students 516

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• West Hartford School District, CT•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 2.71 out of 5  7 reviews

Junior: Teachers and Staff were great! Being privileged to go to a school in West Hartford having so many great resources such as trustable teachers, security guards and overall, all of the staff. As a student who struggled to speak English (being my second language), all teachers were understanding of this and allowed for a perfect studying plan for me!... Read 7 reviews

• grade B+

• Students 866

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Capitol Region Education Coun, CT•

• PK, K-5

• grade B+

• Students 483

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Capitol Region Education Coun, CT•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 3.6 out of 5  95 reviews

Junior: The teachers were incredible. They show how much they care about their students by going above and beyond for them. Each teacher had their own effective way of teaching their students, that gave them the chance to learn what they needed. They were also there for the students emotionally by giving them the support or advice they needed. The school offered interesting classes that exposed the students to things they may have never known they'd like, such as, musical theater, digital photography, robotics, etc. The diversity in the school is also amazing and eye-opening. I truly wish there were a few more after school activities offered, however, I understand that the after school transportation was always a problem with CREC. Overall, the school is worth it!... Read 95 reviews

• grade B+

• Students 777

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Hartford, CT•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 3.79 out of 5  63 reviews

Alum: At Achievement First Hartford High school, I really enjoyed the academic experience. The teachers really take their time to provide you with the information you need to help you be successful in the future. There are many resources around to help each student individually. The environment is always welcoming to everyone and the school tries their hardest to make sure they involve parents in activities. When it comes to things that need to be changed there are many. The first thing that needs to be changed is the diversity among teachers and the second thing actually taking the students advice. The school always ask for students opinion but actually taking them into consideration has been a struggle. Other than that, the school is good when it comes to helping students prepare for the future.... Read 63 reviews

• grade B

• Students 1,163

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Manchester, CT•

• Public School•

• K-8

• •
  Rating 4.75 out of 5  4 reviews

Junior: I love this school! I've never felt like my education was really personalized for me, and at Odyssey, that's how I feel! The teachers are kind and knowledgable, always willing to try to get something to work for you. I wanted to take a psychology course and my history teacher worked tirelessly to get me enrolled in a psychology course at UNCA.... Read 4 reviews

• grade B

• Students 328

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Capitol Region Education Coun, CT•

• PK, K-5

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Senior: CREC has helped me over the last 7 years I have been at their schools. No matter what happened, the teachers were always there for me and cared about my academic growth. Any time I had an issue with bullying, in a week the kids were talked to and parents were notified. The food was not that great, it tasted cheap but that's what most school lunches are like, unfortunately. For anyone looking to find an accepting school district, I highly recommend a CREC school.... Read 2 reviews

• grade B

• Students 524

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Capitol Region Education Coun, CT•

• PK, K-5

• grade B

• Students 521

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Learn, CT•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 3.97 out of 5  92 reviews

Junior: In all, this school offers a lot of great opportunities for college and the classes are flexible enough for you to figure out what you want to do study in the future. The school is very inclusive for people of all kinds, (religion, race, gender, etc) and nobody is left out. They offer the idea that if there's not a club for you, they will add one that suits your needs. This school offers many resume building opportunities like volunteering, honors societies, student councils, and so much more.... Read 92 reviews

• grade B

• Students 533

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Capitol Region Education Coun, CT•

• PK, K-5

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: It the best school I ever had my children in. The teachers are excellent, the homework is straight forward. During the holidays the help out the families in need.... Read 2 reviews

• grade B

• Students 522

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Hartford School District, CT•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.86 out of 5  115 reviews

Alum: Pathways was instrumental in the current success that I experience in college. They had a large emphasis on internships for all their students and actively try to push all students to get at least one internship. I've had an internship all four years. The experience of getting into the workforce and learning workplace culture and adjusting to the environment early on allowed me to filter out what I like and dislike about companies. This means that when I look for a job, I know what questions to ask in interviews and in job searches to make the best decision and to thrive and be the best that I can in my respective field.... Read 115 reviews

• grade B

• Students 425

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Capitol Region Education Coun, CT•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 3.51 out of 5  174 reviews

Senior: Academic culture within the Metropolitan Learning Center is quite strong. It is recognizable that the school prides itself on offering its students with challenging yet rewarding education that forces us to push our minds to think beyond its believed capacity. MLC is an International Baccalaureate school, and is the only public school in Connecticut to host both the Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme. With this rigor, I constantly feel myself being challenged to work harder every year, and to think creatively. Additionally, MLC is an incredibly diverse school, that hosts many exchange students. This allows students to learn about different cultures across the globe!... Read 174 reviews

• grade B minus

• Students 713

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Capitol Region Education Coun, CT•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.76 out of 5  178 reviews

Senior: I loved my time here! The teachers and administration are very supportive, kind, and very understanding. If you feel overwhelmed, it's super easy to work something out with your teachers and guidance counselor. They offer a lot of artistic opportunities to students to help get their work known and activate their creative spark. Personally, through the artistic activities and assignments, I fell back in love with poetry. Also I feel I should mention lunch is free for everyone! Everyone is allowed to express themselves however they want, and just be who they are. I love it!... Read 178 reviews

• grade B minus

• Students 439

• Student-teacher ratio 24:1

• Hartford School District, CT•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.06 out of 5  64 reviews

Sophomore: I enjoy taking courses at Manchester Community College because they have excellent professors who take their time to teach the information. Manchester Community College gives different opportunities for direct conversation with advisors, professors through virtual and in-person meetings. Many schools are great but Manchester Community College is the best in their education system as well as their administration. They just offered two options for Halloween activities one was just for the college students and the other was for both the student, their families. They threw a get together/costume party for the college students while offering a Trunk-or-Treat for families to create or just walk through with the students. Manchester Community College takes pride, effort in celebrating holidays with students, their families. Manchester Community College offers many ways to get support whether its mental health support or tutoring help.... Read 64 reviews

• grade B minus

• Students 308

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Capitol Region Education Coun, CT•

• PK, K-5

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: Excellent school with integrated focus on language studies (Chinese) and STEM. Amazing and caring staff and administrators. Very diverse community. Many opportunities for exploration.... Read 2 reviews

• grade B minus

• Students 465

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Capitol Region Education Coun, CT•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.75 out of 5  40 reviews

Senior: Civic Leadership High School provided a unique college experience. You are able to be very hands on in learning. The community itself is amazing, there is a very diverse student and faculty population. Which allows you to experience and learn about so many different backgrounds.... Read 40 reviews

• grade B minus

• Students 410

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Capitol Region Education Coun, CT•

• PK, K-5

• •
  Rating 4.41 out of 5  17 reviews

Niche User: I love the atmosphere the school offers whether thats talking to the students, faculty, anyone in general. Something I would change is being more connected. I feel as though even if we are all in the same room or talking, there isn't really much of a connecting interaction that I would like to see.... Read 17 reviews

• grade C+

• Students 478

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Capitol Region Education Coun, CT•

• PK, K-5

• grade C+

• Students 512

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Connecticut Technical High School, CT•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.33 out of 5  82 reviews

Senior: Over my four year experience at Cheney Tech, I believe that I have grown exponentially. Not only have I become a better learner at Cheney but the school has taught me a lot of value and had a lot to offer for my career choice. Advice for the incoming freshman would be to pick a trade that you can see yourself making a career out of it. While at Cheney, many people were unhappy with their selection of trade because they either lose interest or they have a change of heart in what they would like to do. This can cause a student to lose focus and slowly fall into a hole they now have to fight their way out of. One other advice I would have for incoming freshmen is to GET WBL. WBL is under appreciated and is an awesome opportunity to get a head start on your career and get on the job experience. This opportunity also is great because instead of going to your trade; if your shop instructor allows it, you can go to work instead of school and get paid which is a big plus!... Read 82 reviews

• grade C+

• Students 678

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Capitol Region Education Coun, CT•

• PK, K-5

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  2 reviews

Parent: I Absolutely Love This School My Child Has Attended Here For The Last 3 years And I Wouldn't Change If Didn't Have To this will Be her last year there and I absolutely sad but my 3 year old will be attending so I'm still and will be a proud parent of IMS😘... Read 2 reviews

• grade C+

• Students 496

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Connecticut Technical High School, CT•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.53 out of 5  79 reviews

Junior: I love that there are so may options and opportunities to explore different areas that you might be interested in, whether it is academically or in different trades.... Read 79 reviews

• grade C+

• Students 676

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Hartford School District, CT•

• PK, K-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

• grade C+

• Students 341

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1