High school academic statistics
:Average SAT scores for the Class of 2005 were 585 verbal and 612 math. For the Class of 2004, 86.6 percent went on to four-year colleges and another 6.7 percent went to two-year colleges. The May 2005 Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) results (administered to students in the 10th grade): Of the 238 students who took the test, 62.2 percent scored at or above the state goal in all four content areas. ["Darien Answerbook 2006", page 28]
Connecticut Mastery Test scores
:Students performing at or above the state performance goal in 2004: ["Darien Answerbook 2006", page 28] :*Fourth grade: reading, 80.2 percent; writing, 88.9 percent; math, 84.5 percent:*Sixth grade: reading, 88.7 percent; writing, 86.1 percent; math, 90.1 percent:*Eighth grade: reading, 84.1 percent; writing, 84.7 percent; math, 87.1 percent
Royle School
Royle School serves about 430 students from kindergarten through fifth grade. The school's colors are blue and white. Its mascot, Sir Learn-a-Lot, is a suit of armor that stands at the main entrance of the school on Mansfield Avenue. Professional hockey player Hugh Jessiman (b. 1984), attended the school, as well as Ox Ridge School. [Buono, Steve, "Huge Specimen" is Rangers' giant asset", article, "The Darien Times", [June 26] , 2003, accessed via NewsBank Web site (www.newsbank.com), accessed November 15, 2007]
When the Royle School was in a building on the Post Road (where the town hall was later located and where senior housing is now), movies would be shown until the town movie theater was built in the 1920s (admission was 25 cents). [Durland, Ann, "A look back at the Darien that was Along the Way", "The Darien Times", March 15, 2007, accessed via NewsBank Web site (www.newsbank.com), accessed November 15, 2007] The school has held an annual "Royle Wrap Up" fundraiser for 17 years as of 2003. Students sell wrapping paper, candles and gifts in their neighborhoods for the fundraising drive, which accounts for 70 percent of the school Parent Teacher Organization's annual budget. The school enrichment program, funded by the PTO, brings in authors and drama companies to the school and includes an annual class field trip. [News brief, "'Royle Wrap Up' underway", "The Darien Times", September 25, 2003, accessed via NewsBank Web site, (www.newsbank.com) on November 15, 2007]
The school has held an annual "Back to School Family Picnic" in September. In 2003, the picnic attracted 800 students and their families, Competitions were run by class with prizes for boys and girls, making all participants winners. A sack race, "baloon pop race", a water-balloon tossing contest, a tug of war with about 70 parents participating, and the launching of 20 silver balloons (one for each classroom) with postcards attached. ["Royle School students have a blast during the annual 'Family Picnic'", no byline, article in "The Darien Times", October 2, 2003, accessed via NewsBank Web site, (www.newsbank.com) on November 15, 2007]
The school Parent Teacher Organization donated $6,000 to the school in 2006 to pay for fans to be installed in the common room and cafeteria. [Shultz, Susan, "Hindley, Royle elementary schools getting gifts", "The DDarien Times", June 1, 2006, accessed via NewsBank Web site (www.newsbank.com) on November 15, 2007] In 2007, the school received a $45,000 donation for new playground equipment from the PTO. The money replaced old equipment, some of which had been made in 1948. Two pieces had already been removed for safety reasons. [Shultz, Susan, "At Royle School New playground is on the way", article in "The Darien Times", January 25, 2007, accessed via NewsBank Web site (www.newsbank.com) on November 15, 2007]
Ox Ridge School
The farthest north of Darien's elementary schools, Ox Ridge School sits behind a small, private field where horses roam. The school's Kids Care Club puts together "Holiday Hope Chests" — decorated shoe boxes with small gifts — for children in Norwalk's Family and Children's Agency. The students give out the gifts at the agency's annual Christmas party. ["Kids Care Club: Makes holidays special for others", no-byline article, "Darien Times", December 6, p 1C 2007]
Teacher Annemarie Ekey's third-grade class emphasizes recycling, with students using recycled book boxes (made from old cereal boxes) to carry reading material to different places in the classroom, and a student project in which they put up signs in the cafeteria to ask students to separate milk caps from milk bottles, which is necessary in order for the bottles to be recycled. The students arranged with cafeteria staff to place more recycling bins, and each week, 800 to 900 caps are recycled. [Shultz, Susan, "Ox Ridge: Adding another R to learning", article, "Darien Times", December 6, p 1C 2007]
Private school
Pear Tree Point School (formerly Plumfield School) serves students in pre-kindergarten through Grade 5.
Notes
External links
* [http://www.darienps.org/boe/default.php Darien Public Schools]
* [http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/ct/district_profile/55 Darien schools Web page at the Great Schools website]
* [http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/der/ssp/dist0506/dist020.pdf state Department of Education's Strategic School Profile 2005-05, for Darien School District]
* [http://www.ptpschool.org/ Pear Tree Point School]
