Bowers School

Summary:

Bowers School is an elementary school in Manchester, Connecticut, serving students from kindergarten to 4th grade. With a diverse student population, the school has faced challenges in academic performance, consistently underperforming compared to state and district averages.

Bowers School's academic struggles are evident across key metrics. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 27.1% of 3rd-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 45.9% at the state level and 31.3% in the Manchester School District. Similarly, in Mathematics, just 28.2% of 3rd-graders at Bowers were proficient or better, while the state and district averages were 51.3% and 37.1%, respectively. The school's low performance has led to a 1- or 2-star rating from SchoolDigger and a ranking in the bottom 20% of Connecticut elementary schools.

When compared to nearby schools, the challenges at Bowers become even more apparent. For example, Buckley School, less than a mile away, consistently outperforms Bowers in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency. The high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at Bowers, ranging from 50.46% to 57.36%, may be a contributing factor to the school's struggles. Despite these challenges, there is an opportunity for the school and Manchester School District to implement targeted interventions and support systems to improve student learning and achievement.

Detail:

Public K-4

141 Princeton Street
Manchester, CT 06042

(860) 647-3313

District: Manchester School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
396^th of 497 Connecticut Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $22,102

Students who attend Bowers School usually attend:

Middle:	Illing Middle School
High:	Manchester High School

Student/teacher ratio: 9.8

Number of students: 323

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

39.9%

White:

31.3%

African American:

18.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 50.5%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Bowers School ranks worse than 79.7% of elementary schools in Connecticut. It also ranks 5^th among 7 ranked elementary schools in the Manchester School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 14.98. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Bowers School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Manchester School District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Bowers School is $22,102, which is the 3^rd highest among 7 elementary schools in the Manchester School District.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Bowers School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Manchester School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Manchester School District 141^st of 158 Connecticut school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Bowers School

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Rank History for all students at Bowers School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CT State Percentile
2006	41.81	393^rd	570	31.1%
2007	47.98	378^th	568	33.5%
2008	59.86	311^th	565	45.0%
2009	60.05	306^th	566	45.9%
2010	62.79	295^th	579	49.1%
2011	56.25	324^th	565	42.7%
2012	44.10	401^st	564	28.9%
2013	44.18	380^th	557	31.8%
2015	38.78	367^th	551	33.4%
2016	25.70	383^rd	518	26.1%
2017	18.98	405^th	519	22.0%
2018	24.86	395^th	532	25.8%
2019	33.21	351^st	522	32.8%
2021	31.70	355^th	538	34.0%
2022	14.48	396^th	490	19.2%
2023	25.23	344^th	491	29.9%
2024	14.98	396^th	497	20.3%

See the entire list of Connecticut Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Bowers School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CT State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	25.60	273^rd	371	26.4%

See the entire list of Best Connecticut Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Bowers School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CT State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	35.17	190^th	302	37.1%

See the entire list of Best Connecticut Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Bowers School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CT State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	27.34	204^th	259	21.2%
2021	28.17	317^th	455	30.3%

See the entire list of Best Connecticut Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Bowers School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CT State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	13.23	237^th	262	9.5%
2021	28.64	305^th	445	31.5%

See the entire list of Best Connecticut Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Bowers School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CT State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	47.19	185^th	295	37.3%
2021	19.21	281^st	327	14.1%

See the entire list of Best Connecticut Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Connecticut State Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Connecticut State Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:
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Enrollment information for Bowers School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	416	16	3	10	0	n/a	n/a	445
1989	445	23	2	3	0	n/a	n/a	473
1990	453	15	3	5	n/a	n/a	n/a	476
1991	440	16	3	9	0	n/a	n/a	468
1992	452	14	5	5	0	n/a	n/a	476
1993	367	14	7	8	0	n/a	n/a	396
1994	372	22	6	14	0	n/a	n/a	414
1995	404	37	14	28	2	n/a	n/a	485
1996	404	37	14	28	2	n/a	n/a	485
1997	419	41	14	34	1	n/a	n/a	509
1998	409	56	14	23	2	n/a	n/a	504
1999	437	51	17	27	0	n/a	n/a	532
2000	413	60	9	41	0	n/a	n/a	523
2001	371	58	4	42	1	n/a	n/a	476
2002	323	59	12	46	2	n/a	n/a	442
2003	323	59	12	46	2	n/a	n/a	442
2004	302	48	15	46	2	n/a	n/a	413
2005	290	47	16	58	2	n/a	n/a	413
2006	306	74	16	55	3	n/a	n/a	454
2007	302	86	22	71	4	n/a	n/a	485
2008	277	99	23	87	4	n/a	n/a	490
2009	234	74	25	74	5	n/a	n/a	412
2010	225	87	23	93	3	n/a	n/a	431
2011	210	74	19	72	3	0	31	409
2012	187	61	18	103	2	0	30	401
2013	200	57	16	107	2	0	25	407
2014	202	70	22	108	0	0	23	425
2015	197	67	17	116	3	1	16	417
2016	190	66	10	114	1	1	10	392
2017	189	77	17	125	0	0	6	414
2018	188	98	15	109	0	0	6	416
2019	154	71	15	95	0	1	4	340
2020	138	78	14	101	0	1	5	337
2021	133	70	15	103	0	2	10	333
2022	128	63	16	119	1	2	8	337
2023	101	58	17	129	3	4	11	323

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Bowers School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	445	26.0	17.1	n/a
1989	473	26.0	18.1	n/a
1990	476	25.0	19.0	n/a
1991	468	24.8	18.8	n/a
1992	476	27.8	17.1	7.1
1993	396	20.0	19.8	0.5
1994	414	20.2	20.5	12.1
1995	485	24.2	20.0	20.8
1996	485	24.2	20.0	20.8
1997	509	27.5	18.5	14.3
1998	504	27.5	18.3	15.7
1999	532	29.2	18.2	22.7
2000	523	29.6	17.7	27.9
2001	476	28.4	16.8	n/a
2002	442	27.2	16.3	24.2
2003	442	27.2	16.3	24.2
2004	413	26.7	15.5	29.3
2005	413	21.6	19.1	n/a
2006	454	20.5	22.1	25.3
2007	485	29.4	16.5	35.1
2008	490	30.4	16.1	35.3
2009	412	30.2	15.5	38.8
2010	431	27.0	15.9	46.4
2011	409	28.0	14.6	45.2
2012	401	28.1	14.2	49.6
2013	407	29.1	13.9	46.9
2014	425	29.9	14.1	48.7
2015	417	27.0	15.4	46
2016	392	36.0	10.8	49
2017	414	30.0	13.8	44.4
2018	416	31.4	13.2	51.2
2019	340	28.7	11.8	59.1
2020	337	32.1	10.4	63.5
2021	333	31.9	10.4	57.4
2022	337	32.2	10.4	56.4
2023	323	32.6	9.8	50.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Bowers School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	445	26.0	17.1	n/a
1989	473	26.0	18.1	n/a
1990	476	25.0	19.0	n/a
1991	468	24.8	18.8	n/a
1992	476	27.8	17.1	7.1
1993	396	20.0	19.8	0.5
1994	414	20.2	20.5	12.1
1995	485	24.2	20.0	20.8
1996	485	24.2	20.0	20.8
1997	509	27.5	18.5	14.3
1998	504	27.5	18.3	15.7
1999	532	29.2	18.2	22.7
2000	523	29.6	17.7	27.9
2001	476	28.4	16.8	n/a
2002	442	27.2	16.3	24.2
2003	442	27.2	16.3	24.2
2004	413	26.7	15.5	29.3
2005	413	21.6	19.1	n/a
2006	454	20.5	22.1	25.3
2007	485	29.4	16.5	35.1
2008	490	30.4	16.1	35.3
2009	412	30.2	15.5	38.8
2010	431	27.0	15.9	46.4
2011	409	28.0	14.6	45.2
2012	401	28.1	14.2	49.6
2013	407	29.1	13.9	46.9
2014	425	29.9	14.1	48.7
2015	417	27.0	15.4	46
2016	392	36.0	10.8	49
2017	414	30.0	13.8	44.4
2018	416	31.4	13.2	51.2
2019	340	28.7	11.8	59.1
2020	337	32.1	10.4	63.5
2021	333	31.9	10.4	57.4
2022	337	32.2	10.4	56.4
2023	323	32.6	9.8	50.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Bowers School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$16,177
2019	$17,884
2020	$19,994
2021	$21,070
2022	$23,671
2023	$22,102

Data source: Connecticut Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Bowers School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 351^st of 522 Elementary schools	Ranks 344^th of 491 Elementary schools	2.8%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Bowers School)	47.4	30.5	16.9%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Manchester School District)	40.3	31.4	8.9%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Connecticut)	54.3	45.5	8.8%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Bowers School)	51.3	34.5	16.8%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Manchester School District)	45.1	34.5	10.6%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Connecticut)	55	49.8	5.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Bowers School)	47.9	37.7	10.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Manchester School District)	39.7	37.4	2.3%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Connecticut)	54.6	48.8	5.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (Bowers School)	37.5	39	1.5%
4th Grade Mathematics (Manchester School District)	33.8	34.3	0.5%
4th Grade Mathematics (Connecticut)	52.5	48.3	4.2%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	340	323	5%
African American	71	58	18.3%
American Indian	0	3
Asian	15	17	13.3%
Hispanic	95	129	35.8%
Pacific Islander	1	4	300%
White	154	101	34.4%
Two or More Races	4	11	175%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	59.1%	50.5%	8.7%

Schools Near Bowers School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				NGSS Science (2024)	SBAC English Language Arts (2024)			SBAC Mathematics (2024)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NGSS Science 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 8th Grade	Total
Bowers School	Public	K-4	141 Princeton Street	Manchester	06042	Hartford County	Manchester School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 647-3313	323	33	9.8	50.5%	101 (31.3%)	58 (18.0%)	129 (39.9%)	17 (5.3%)	3 (0.9%)	4 (1.2%)	11 (3.4%)	15	396^th of 497 public elementary schools	20.3%		25.2	344^th of 491 public elementary schools	29.9%	52		27.1			28.2	30.5				$22,102
Buckley School	Public	K-4	250 Vernon Street	Manchester	06042	Hartford County	Manchester School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 647-3302	288	34	8.5	42.4%	119 (41.3%)	63 (21.9%)	72 (25.0%)	26 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.8%)	76.1	138^th of 497 public elementary schools	72.2%		58.5	209^th of 491 public elementary schools	57.4%	71		61.2	68.9		65.3	71.7				$23,942
Waddell School	Public	K-4	163 Broad Street	Manchester	06042	Hartford County	Manchester School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 647-3392	461	44	10.4	53.1%	94 (20.4%)	118 (25.6%)	154 (33.4%)	80 (17.4%)	5 (1.1%)	2 (0.4%)	8 (1.7%)	25.7	348^th of 497 public elementary schools	30.0%		25.9	340^th of 491 public elementary schools	30.8%	8		33.7	31.3		54.3	27.4				$21,378
Highland Park School	Public	K-4	397 Porter St.	Manchester	06040	Hartford County	Manchester School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 647-3430	318	29	10.8	47.2%	113 (35.5%)	62 (19.5%)	115 (36.2%)	19 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.8%)	29.9	328^th of 497 public elementary schools	34.0%		25.3	342^nd of 491 public elementary schools	30.3%	14		37.9	40.9		43.9	36.4				$21,596
Odyssey Community School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	579 Middle Tpke West	Manchester	06040	Hartford County	Odyssey Community School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(860) 645-1234	374	33	11.3	41.4%	101 (27.0%)	85 (22.7%)	71 (19.0%)	84 (22.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.8%)	63.1	198^th of 497 public elementary schools	60.2%		55.3	230^th of 491 public elementary schools	53.2%	32		70.3	50.0	51.4	70.3		51.4	40.0	56.8	$14,497
Martin School	Public	PK, KG-4	140 Dartmouth Rd.	Manchester	06040	Hartford County	Manchester School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 647-3367	250	26	9.5	43.2%	85 (34.0%)	52 (20.8%)	77 (30.8%)	27 (10.8%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	7 (2.8%)	18	378^th of 497 public elementary schools	23.9%		20.3	362^nd of 491 public elementary schools	26.3%	16		34.2			28.9	28.6				$24,525
Verplanck School	Public	K-4	126 Olcott Street	Manchester	06040	Hartford County	Manchester School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 647-3383	457	45	10.0	64.1%	94 (20.6%)	118 (25.8%)	203 (44.4%)	27 (5.9%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.6%)	6.8	468^th of 497 public elementary schools	5.8%		9.9	431^st of 491 public elementary schools	12.2%	37		13.1	22.3		22.2	17.0				$20,576
Lake Street School	Public	K-5	201 Lake St.	Vernon	06066	Tolland County	Vernon School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 870-6085	251	22	11.3	41.8%	148 (59.0%)	9 (3.6%)	42 (16.7%)	33 (13.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.6%)	59	214^th of 497 public elementary schools	56.9%		48.5	248^th of 491 public elementary schools	49.5%	34			53.7		57.1	56.1	57.4			$20,468
Keeney School	Public	PK, KG-4	65 North School St.	Manchester	06042	Hartford County	Manchester School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 647-3354	327	32	10.1	38.2%	120 (36.7%)	79 (24.2%)	94 (28.7%)	17 (5.2%)	4 (1.2%)	2 (0.6%)	11 (3.4%)	14.5	397^th of 497 public elementary schools	20.1%		18.9	370^th of 491 public elementary schools	24.6%	27		28.6	32.8		20.4					$20,535
Orchard Hill School	Public	K-5	380 Foster St.	South Windsor	06074	Hartford County	South Windsor School District	No	No	No	No	(860) 648-5015	627	47	13.4	16.9%	271 (43.2%)	23 (3.7%)	65 (10.4%)	238 (38.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.8%)	86.1	59^th of 497 public elementary schools	88.1%		88.2	52^nd of 491 public elementary schools	89.4%	7	80.5	61.9	72.6	85.4	75.0	73.5	77.2			$15,160

Frequently Asked Questions about Bowers School

Is Bowers School a good school?

Bowers School ranks in the bottom 20.3% of Connecticut elementary schools.

How many students attend Bowers School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 323 students attended Bowers School.

What is the racial makeup of Bowers School?

Students at Bowers School are 40% Hispanic, 31% White, 18% African American, 5% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Bowers School attend?

Students who attend Bowers School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Illing Middle School
High : Manchester High School

What district is Bowers School in?

Manchester School District

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Connecticut Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.