West Hartford Overview:
West Hartford, CT, is a vibrant, diverse suburb of Hartford, CT, just 5 miles from downtown Hartford. Locally, West Hartford is known for the emphasis placed on the school systems and the overall civic pride of the people who live here. As testimony to this fact, West Hartford has been recognized by a variety of national publications including Kiplinger (Top Ten Best City for the Next Decade and Top Ten Best City to Raise a Family - May 25,2010), CNN Money (Top 100 Best Places to Live - 2010,2012), Newsweek (America's Best High Schools - 2010), U.S. News (Best High Schools in CT 2013) Conard at #2, William Hall at #8, and Travel & Leisure (America's Coolest Suburb - August 2010). Kiplinger describes West Hartford as an ambitious town which is not only an idyllic place to live and raise a family, but a regional destination. West Hartford is basically broken down into separate areas that are referred to as Elmwood, the Center, Bishops Corner, Buena Vista, Woodpond.
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West Hartford Shopping & Dining:
A few shopping attractions include Blue Back Square, West Farms Mall and West Hartford Center which is an eclectic mix of boutiques, restaurants and practical stores. People travel from all over the state and New England to spend a day in West Hartford and enjoy the local attractions and variety of dining available.
West Hartford Jobs:
Industry in the area is focused on financial services, insurance companies and an easy drive to ESPN in Bristol. Hartford is home to some of the largest insurance companies in the world and was known as the Insurance Capitol of the World for years.
Recreation & Attractions:
West Hartford is also home to a nationally recognized public golf Course (Rockledge Golf Course), Buena Vista golf course which is an executive 9-hole course perfect for beginners, Cornerstone Aquatics Center (named best public indoor aquatics center in the country by Aquatics International in 2005) , Elizabeth Park which is famous for it's rose gardens, the MDC Reservoir walking/biking trails, a completely updated ice rink, 5 public parks, Westmoor Park and hidden gems such as Spicebush Swamp.
Education - Colleges and Universities:
In addition to award winning public schools, within the confines of West Hartford, there is the University of Hartford, a University of Connecticut branch, The American School for the Deaf, University of St. Joseph and a few preparatory schools including Kingswood-Oxford, Renbrook and Northwest Catholic.
West Hartford Schools:
The West Hartford School District is comprised of 11 elementary schools (neighborhood and magnet), 3 middle schools and 2 high schools. The schools in West Hartford have been recognized nationally by Newsweek and are consistently ranked among the top schools in Connecticut. There are a few private schools including Kingswood-Oxford, Renbrook, Northwest Catholic and St Timothy's which cater to both West Hartford residents and a large number of area towns. People with younger children tend to identify with their neighborhood school in a very positive manner. Based on parent reviews, I don't think you can make a bad choice. Every school seems strong and well run, with a strong parental involvement and commitment from teachers and administrators.
More and more families are choosing West Hartford because of our outstanding public schools. In Fall 2000, Sedgwick Middle School received the prestigious national Blue Ribbon designation, joining other secondary schools – Hall and Conard high schools and King Philip Middle School – in the Blue Ribbon category. A third middle school, Bristow Middle School, opened its doors in the fall of 2005, at 34 Highland Street. Bristow has become a popular school of choice in which students are selected by lottery.
Connecticut Magazine ranked West Hartford Public Schools first among all the cities and towns in Connecticut and for its population class (50,000+), and second overall. West Hartford was ranked in the top 10 for lowest crime, quantity of leisure and cultural offerings, and strength of its economy. The magazine uses hard data that run the gamut from the local library budget to the median price of a house, the number of historic sites, student test scores, the number of high school graduates who attend college, the ratio of students per computer and the per-capita municipal debt to compile its rankings.
Town council and board of education members have made a long-term commitment educationally and financially to have the best schools in Connecticut. All around town improvements and additions to our public schools are being made to meet the growing enrollment.
New buildings are also being erected on our college campuses for housing, sports facilities and academic learning centers, all in an effort to attract the best and brightest throughout the state, country and the world.
Helpful West Hartford School Links:
West Hartford Public Schools site
Elementary Schools:
Aiken
Braeburn
Bugbee
Charter Oak International Academy (magnet school)
Duffy
Morley
Norfeldt
Smith STEM School (magnet school)
Webster Hill
Whiting Lane
Wolcott
Middle Schools:
High Schools:
To check the calendar for the current school year you can click here.
To determine the school district of a street address, click here. Some neighborhoods are not assigned to the nearest school so be careful if you are looking to live in a particular school district. I have even seen it wrong in the MLS listing information sheet.
Others:
In addition to award winning public schools, within the confines of West Hartford, there is the University of Hartford, a University of Connecticut branch, The American School for the Deaf, University of St. Joseph and a few preparatory schools including Kingswood-Oxford, Renbrook and Northwest Catholic.
Here is for a complete list of private and parochial schools in W. Hartford.