Connecticut
State Governance
State Board of Education
Connecticut’s State Board of Education consists of eleven members, each serving a four-year term. The board members are appointed by the governor and must be confirmed by the House and Senate. Additionally, two students, without voting privileges serve one-year terms on the board.
The State Board of Education has authority over:
- Teacher licensures
- Summative Assessments
- Content Standards Adoption
- Recommends the Chief State School Officer
- Authorizes Charter Schools
Governor
Chief State School Officer
Dianna Wentzell
Appointed by the governor
State Context
State Demographics
Public Education Enrollment by Special Populations:
Free and Reduced Price Lunch: 37.1%
English Language Learners: 5.7%
Served by IDEA: 13.0%
2015 NAEP State Data
Reading scores for Grade 4 by state average, race/ethnicity and NSLP-eligibility compared to the national average:
Reading scores for Grade 4 by race/ethnicity between 2003 and 2015, additional national average data is included:
Mathematics scores for Grade 8 by state average, race/ethnicity and NLSP-eligibility compared to the national average:
Mathematics scores for Grade 8 by race/ethnicity between 2003 and 2015, additional national average data is included:
Science scores for Grade 8 by state average, race/ethnicity and NSLP-eligibility compared to the national average:
Graduation Rates
Adjusted cohort graduation rate between 2011 and 2015:
Charter Schools:
Year Charter School Law was Enacted: 1996
Number of Charter Schools in the 2014-15 Year: 22
Number of Students Served by Charter Schools in the 2014-15 Year: 8,036
Charter School Cap Law: Connecticut’s law contains a cap on charter school that limits 250 students per charter school or 25 percent of the enrollment of the district in which the charter is located, whichever is less.
ESSA Plan & Implementation
Connecticut submitted its ESSA consolidated application to the U.S. Department of Education on April 3, 2017. Learn more about Connecticut’s ESSA approach.