A recent analysis found Connecticut to have one of the most racially segregated school systems in the country. This is particularly concerning for Windham High School, where 82% of students are now Hispanic and 88% are minorities.
Local Impact
The school’s diversity has been affected by Columbia’s decision to remove Windham from its school placement options in 2012. This decision has led to a decline in the college enrollment rate among Windham graduates, from 53.9% in 2010 to 37.9% in 2024.
According to Mark Doyle, a longtime Windham Board of Education member, the school has never received the fully-funded level of Education Cost Sharing grants required by law. Doyle believes that merging smaller districts on a regional basis could help address the segregation issue.
Windham High School has a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, with 75% of students falling into this category. The school’s funding is largely based on property taxes, which can be a challenge for residents in Willimantic, where household incomes are relatively low.
Original reporting: The Connecticut Mirror — read the source article.
