2023 Best Schools in New Haven County

• Wallingford, CT•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.56 out of 5  177 reviews

Alum: I was able to achieve so much as a high school student through the support of genuine, kind friends, encouraging teachers, and an incredibly welcoming community. The opportunity to involve yourself in so many different areas of study, as well as attempt new things without the fear of feeling unqualified was such a freeing experience, and one that many ever get to experience. Without a doubt, rigor and high achievement stress is always present, and several other factors play into creating an environment of pressure. However, Choate is a place that cares and works to improve.... Read 177 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 868

• Student-teacher ratio 7:1

• New Haven, CT•

• Private School•

• 7-12

• •
  Rating 4.29 out of 5  86 reviews

Parent: Hopkins School is a very challenging academic environment. We have loved so many of the opportunities it has offered. Cultural trips, community service, social gatherings for students and parents. Athletically Hopkins does well in some sports not in others and the facilities while adequate are not up to the level of many of its competitors. The Arts are amazing! Drama and symphony and band all are amazing as are its Teachers. While the teachers are amazing and classes engaging. The curriculum is very tight and does not allow for a lot of exploration into various areas. I’d love to see this improve. Overall our experience even through Covid has been wonderful and we could not see our daughter anywhere else.... Read 86 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 715

• Student-teacher ratio 5:1

• Hamden, CT•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  109 reviews

Senior: I'm about to start my senior year at Hamden Hall, and I am so glad that I decided to make the switch to start here in 9th grade. The classes are challenging yet rewarding, not to mention the perfect size, and I have formed so many great connections with teachers. It's so easy to get involved- sports are accessible to everyone, no matter what type you want, and there are tons of clubs with students creating new ones every year. I also love that it's a PreK-12 school; not only does it brighten my mood to see the youngest students on campus, but it provides so many great opportunities for Upper Schoolers to work with and mentor younger students. I also think college counseling started at the perfect time: not too early to cause stress, but not so late that I feel behind. Going into senior year, I think I'm at a perfect spot in terms of college preparedness and am well-informed about what the next several months will hold. I could not be happier with my choice to come to Hamden Hall!... Read 109 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 624

• Student-teacher ratio 6:1

• Middlebury, CT•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.06 out of 5  81 reviews

Alum: I graduated from Westover roughly ten years ago. I continue to reflect fondly on my experience and am thankful that my four years at Westover provided me with the tools to excel in college, graduate school, and in my professional career. The strong sense of community that one feels as student persists outside of our small campus. The friendships live on well past graduation day. Westover students have a unique passion, eagerness, and strength to challenge societal norms with the intention of bettering our communities.... Read 81 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 184

• Student-teacher ratio 4:1

• Cheshire, CT•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.34 out of 5  132 reviews

Parent: Cheshire Academy has been absolutely wonderful for our children and our family. Our children are two very different students with very different needs. The CA teachers, staff and administrators go out of their way to know and understand each student and help him/her achieve academic success. My eldest was recruited by several other prestigious boarding schools, but once we visited CA we knew it was the absolute perfect fit for us. CA not only has rigorous academic programs, excellent sports and music/arts programs, its student body is ethnically, academically and socially diverse which was a very important factor for our family. We were not at all interested in sending our children to a school that felt like country club with little diversity. My younger child had more challenges to overcome than his older sister. CA went above and beyond supporting him academically and was instrumental in deeply developing his passion and talent for music. We couldn't be happier with CA!... Read 132 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 343

• Student-teacher ratio 7:1

• Milford, CT•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.32 out of 5  174 reviews

Senior: Best part of my experience was definitely getting pushed to grow and become the young woman I am today. Worst part of my experience was definitely all of high school; it was fun but compared to other schools we do not get nearly the same experience. While I understand we trade off for a better education I would have liked to see more focus on sports and more overall school spirit. We never get approved for field trips or fun spirit days and are not allowed to do anything. The rules are definitely very strict, and not in a reasonable way. Also there is no security guard on campus. Definitely do not feel terribly safe on campus and the school fails to handle emergencies well. Also the people are not the greatest.... Read 174 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 366

• Student-teacher ratio 9:1

• Madison Public Schools, CT•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.88 out of 5  243 reviews

Junior: Overall, I think that Daniel Hand is a very solid public school. Every year, some of the standout students are sent to top colleges, and many others go on to attend UConn and other schools. Daniel Hand offers a great selection of AP and Honors courses for Juniors and Seniors to take. I do wish that they gave students the option to take a couple their Sophomore year, which they don't allow. Hand has a great student community that is very inclusive, as there are enough clubs and sports to ensure that everyone can find their place. Additionally, there's a lot of school pride and events that bring the student body together. You can catch hundreds of students cheering on the football team on Friday nights in the Fall. In terms of teaching, it's a mixed bag. I've had many teachers that are amazing and are passionate about their jobs. However, there are definitely some sprinkled throughout the school that don't put a lot of effort into lessons. Despite this, I love Daniel Hand- GO TIGERS!... Read 243 reviews

• grade A

• Students 874

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Amity Regional School District No. 5, CT•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 4.2 out of 5  5 reviews

Parent: Amity Middle school- Bethany, has been a wonderful experience for our child. It is such a warm, welcoming place, where there is constantly respect and kindness, everywhere. There hasn’t been a teacher there that doesn’t want anything other than success, for the students. The Admins of the school have been remarkable. We wouldn’t change a thing about AMSB!... Read 5 reviews

• grade A

• Students 355

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Guilford Public Schools, CT•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.65 out of 5  218 reviews

Junior: Guilford High School is an engaging, challenging, and cooperative environment with driven teachers who push each and every student to perform to the highest standard. With a sweeping variety of AP, IB, and ECE classes, the alumni tend to perform outstandingly in college or post-high school environments. Guilford High School additionally has a reputation of being extremely high achieving in the performing arts, with one of the best theater and music programs on the shoreline.... Read 218 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,089

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Amity Regional School District No. 5, CT•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.71 out of 5  361 reviews

Alum: Great and caring teachers, great club options, and school projects are interesting (ex: foreign policy simulations, mock trials for literature characters, etc). Wonderful selection of classes (many AP or honor options, great electives like a welding class in an actual workshop or creative writing or a graphic novel class). Cons: lack of POC support, very white school, underfunded and under appreciated arts/humanities department (heavy emphasis is put into sports), school admins have favorites, sports are too prioritized over academic, club, and humanities class resources (the yearbook is packed with every single sport photo ever taken with no room for other stuff). Though the music and art departments have great teachers, they were not valued and funded as much by the school. As a person of color, I felt isolated and uncomfortable around some of the student body because of how white (and sometimes privileged) they are.... Read 361 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,395

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Amity Regional School District No. 5, CT•

• 7-8

• grade A

• Students 355

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Cheshire Public Schools, CT•

• K-6

• grade A

• Students 436

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Cheshire Public Schools, CT•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.69 out of 5  286 reviews

Freshman: Cheshire High School (CHS) is a wonderful public education institution and environment, housing grades nine through 12; although I have only taken my first year at CHS, I can surely recount that my experience so far has been delightful! The ambience allows for my peers and I to comfortably acquaint with one another, often as we show our school pride in numerous events, activities, and so on; I would also like to acclaim the generous range in extracurriculars provided for those attending, with over 25 clubs -- as well as the opportunity for students to organize their own -- sports year-round, and a variety of other pursuits including the newspaper and music and drama. However, CHS is unfortunately home to a few snags as well; as with other affiliates, I believe it would be propitious that the building's supplies and layout are upgraded, as it can be tedious to work with outmoded windows, bathrooms, and technology; I hope we can improve this issue together once we return to usual terms!... Read 286 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,313

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• West Haven, CT•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.21 out of 5  123 reviews

Alum: The overall experience was great. Most of the students are rich and privileged which makes them difficult to get along with, at least in my experience. There are several instances which I can remember off the top of my head of people getting bullied and not much being done, particularly with the hockey team. This being said, I would say the good outweighs the bad. Pretty much all of the teachers will get along with you and try to help whenever they can, especially if you are well behaved in their class. Annual events like NDXL really are great, especially trips abroad which I was lucky enough to take part in. The only thing I would like to see change is teachers actually doing something when someone acts up in their class, and keeping the subject of discussion on topic, at least for the most part.... Read 123 reviews

• grade A

• Students 533

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Guilford Public Schools, CT•

• PK, K-4

• grade A

• Students 332

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Cheshire Public Schools, CT•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

Middle School Student: Dodd middle school has been an excellent place throughout my 2 years of attendance. For being a public school, it has little bullying, drugs, or anything else that is involved with teenagers. Students can be clichy but are friendly to others. Personally, I never felt intimidated by other students and was very happy with my group of friends.... Read 1 review

• grade A

• Students 614

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Guilford Public Schools, CT•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 2.89 out of 5  9 reviews

• grade A

• Students 465

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• New Haven, CT•

• Public School•

• K-12

• grade A

• Students 776

• Student-teacher ratio 19:1

• Madison Public Schools, CT•

• K-3

• grade A

• Students 284

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• Cheshire Public Schools, CT•

• K-6

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

• grade A

• Students 766

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Hamden, CT•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.37 out of 5  232 reviews

Works Here: I love going to work every day at Sacred Heart Academy! This is a place where girls grow into young women, learn leadership skills, thrive in the classroom and in our athletic and extra-curricular programs. It is a place where it is ok to be smart and focused yet at the same time know when to have fun. It's a place where girls can be themselves and not be afraid to ask questions in the classroom for fear of being made fun of. They have freedom to learn, to question, to dream, to plan, to research, to prepare, to set the course for their future. They work hard but they also play hard. It's my privilege to watch them grow right before our eyes and challenge themselves in ways they never dreamed of when they first walked through the doors.... Read 232 reviews

• grade A

• Students 369

• Student-teacher ratio 7:1

• Guilford Public Schools, CT•

• 5-6

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  1 review

• grade A

• Students 468

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Cheshire Public Schools, CT•

• K-6

• grade A

• Students 346

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Cheshire Public Schools, CT•

• K-6

• grade A

• Students 484

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Pomperaug Regional School District No. 15, CT•

• K-5

• grade A

• Students 345

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1