District Reference Groups (DRGs)
Formerly Educational Reference Groups (ERGs)
June 2006
Since 1996, the Connecticut State Department of Education has divided school districts into nine groups called
Educational Reference Groups.i These nine groups are determined according to socio-economic status and other
factors. The nine groups, labeled A through I, were recently reclassified District Reference Groups (DRGs) using
updated data but the same formula.ii
Seven data indicators are used to classify similar districts into a DRG: three indicators of socioeconomic status
(median family income1, parental education1 and parental occupation1), three indicators of need (percentage of
children living in families with a single parent1, the percentage of public school children eligible to receive free or
reduced-price meals2 and percentage of children whose families speak a language other than English at home2) and
enrollment (the number of students attending schools in that district2).iii
The most affluent and low-need districts, as measured by these indicators, are grouped in DRG A while the poorest
and highest need districts – including Connecticut’s five biggest cities – are grouped in DRG I. Following this new
re-classification, many of the 169 school districts are in the DRG that corresponds to their former ERG
classification (where DRGs A, B, C through I correspond respectively to ERGs A, B, C through I). Twenty-seven
districts were reclassified into less affluent, higher need DRGs than their former ERGs, and 23 were reclassified
into more affluent, lower need DRGs than their former ERGs.iv
The composition of some reference groups changed little as a result of
this new classification. DRG I comprises the seven districts that made
up ERG I and includes no districts previously classified in other ERGs.
Seventeen of the nineteen districts formerly in ERG B are now
classified in DRG B. Nine of the twelve districts previously classified in
ERG A are now classified in DRG A.
Reference
Group
# of
Districts
in former
ERG
# of
Districts
in current
DRG
# of
Districts
in
common
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
12
19
38
21
25
16
15
13
7
9
21
30
24
34
17
15
9
7
9
17
26
16
22
5
3
9
7
The composition of groups F and G changed most dramatically after
the June 2006 re-classification. Only three districts that had been
classified in ERG G remain in DRG G and only five former ERG F
districts remain in DRG F. The table above indicates the number of
districts in each (former) ERG, in each DRG and the number reclassified into the same reference group it was in before. The table on
the reverse of this fact sheet indicates each district’s previous and new classification.
i
Since the late 1970s, the Department has used Census and other data to classify districts, first in six groups and later seven.
Educational Reference Groups were designated using 1990 Census data while the new District Reference Groups were determined using
2000 Census data as well as updated enrollment data and a new indicator of poverty.
iii The socioeconomic status and need data describe the resident population of the school district, which may not be the same population
the district serves.
iv It is important to note that districts are categorized relative to other districts using a statistical model, not according to absolute measures
of socioeconomic status, need or enrollment, ant that changes in DRG designation may reflect this relative status rather than a change in
the data indicators.
ii
1. Based on National Center for Educational Statistics census data from 2000 Census. 2. Based on Public School Information System.
Town
Andover
Ansonia
Ashford
Avon
Barkhamsted
Beacon Falls
Berlin
Bethany
Bethel
Bethlehem
Bloomfield
Bolton
Bozrah
Branford
Bridgeport
Bridgewater
Bristol
Brookfield
Brooklyn
Burlington
Canaan
Canterbury
Canton
Chaplin
Cheshire
Chester
Clinton
Colchester
Colebrook
Columbia
Cornwall
Coventry
Cromwell
Danbury
Darien
Deep River
Derby
Durham
East Granby
East Haddam
East Hampton
East Hartford
East Haven
East Lyme
East Windsor
Eastford
Easton
Ellington
Enfield
Essex
Fairfield
Farmington
Franklin
Glastonbury
Goshen
Granby
Greenwich
Griswold
Groton
Guilford
Haddam
Hamden
Hampton
ERG DRG Change
C
C
–
H
H
–
E
E
–
A
B
▼
C
C
–
Regional #16
D
D
–
C
C
–
B
D
▼
Regional #14
F
G
▼
C
C
–
C
E
▼
D
D
–
I
I
–
Regional #12
H
G
▲
B
B
–
E
E
–
Regional #10
E
E
–
E
F
▼
C
C
–
G
E
▲
B
B
–
E
E
–
D
D
–
D
D
–
E
E
–
D
C
▲
C
C
–
E
E
–
E
D
▲
H
H
–
A
A
–
C
E
▼
H
H
–
Regional #13
C
D
▼
E
E
–
D
D
–
H
H
–
G
G
–
D
D
–
G
F
▲
E
E
–
A
A
–
C
C
–
F
F
–
C
C
–
B
B
–
B
B
–
E
E
–
B
B
–
Regional #6
B
B
–
B
B
–
G
F
▲
F
G
▼
B
B
–
Regional #17
D
G
▼
E
E
–
ERG and DRG Comparison
Town
Hartford
Hartland
Harwinton
Hebron
Kent
Killingly
Killingworth
Lebanon
Ledyard
Lisbon
Litchfield
Lyme
Madison
Manchester
Mansfield
Marlborough
Meriden
Middlebury
Middlefield
Middletown
Milford
Monroe
Montville
Morris
Naugatuck
New Britain
New Canaan
New Fairfield
New Hartford
New Haven
New London
New Milford
Newington
Newtown
Norfolk
North Branford
North Canaan
North Haven
North Stonington
Norwalk
Norwich
Old Lyme
Old Saybrook
Orange
Oxford
Plainfield
Plainville
Plymouth
Pomfret
Portland
Preston
Prospect
Putnam
Redding
Ridgefield
Rocky Hill
Roxbury
Salem
Salisbury
Scotland
Seymour
Sharon
Shelton
ERG DRG Change
I
I
–
E
E
–
Regional #10
C
C
–
E
E
–
H
G
▲
Regional #17
E
E
–
C
D
▼
E
E
–
C
E
▼
Regional #18
B
B
–
F
G
▼
C
C
–
B
C
▼
H
H
–
Regional #15
Regional #13
H
G
▲
F
D
▲
B
B
–
F
F
–
Regional #6
F
G
▼
I
I
–
A
A
–
B
B
–
C
C
–
I
I
–
I
I
–
D
D
–
D
D
–
B
B
–
E
E
–
D
E
▼
G
F
–
D
D
–
E
E
–
H
H
–
H
H
–
Regional #18
D
D
–
B
B
–
C
C
–
G
G
–
G
F
▲
G
F
▲
C
C
–
E
E
–
C
E
▼
Regional #16
H
G
▲
A
A
–
A
A
–
D
D
–
Regional #12
C
C
–
C
E
▼
E
E
–
F
F
–
E
E
–
D
D
–
▲ Changed to More Affluent/Lower Need Reference Group
▼ Changed to Less Affluent/Higher Need Reference Group
– No Change
Town
Sherman
Simsbury
Somers
South Windsor
Southbury
Southington
Sprague
Stafford
Stamford
Sterling
Stonington
Stratford
Suffield
Thomaston
Thompson
Tolland
Torrington
Trumbull
Union
Vernon
Voluntown
Wallingford
Warren
Washington
Waterbury
Waterford
Watertown
West Hartford
West Haven
Westbrook
Weston
Westport
Wethersfield
Willington
Wilton
Winchester
Windham
Windsor
Windsor Locks
Wolcott
Woodbridge
Woodbury
Woodstock
ERG DRG Change
C
C
–
A
B
▼
C
C
–
B
B
–
Regional #15
D
D
–
G
F
▲
G
F
▲
H
H
–
G
F
▲
F
D
▲
F
G
▼
C
C
–
G
E
▲
G
F
▲
D
C
▲
F
G
▼
B
B
–
E
E
–
F
G
▼
G
F
▲
F
D
▲
Regional #6
Regional #12
I
I
–
F
D
▲
D
D
–
B
B
–
H
H
–
C
E
▼
A
A
–
A
A
–
D
D
–
C
E
▼
A
A
–
G
G
–
I
I
–
D
D
–
F
F
–
F
F
–
A
B
▼
Regional #14
C
E
▼
Regional District ERG DRG Change
1
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
E
C
B
C
C
C
A
C
E
D
C
C
C
E
C
C
C
E
C
B
E
C
C
A
C
F
C
C
C
B
E
C
C
C
–
–
–
▼
–
–
–
–
▼
▲
–
–
▲
–
–
–
–
Note: Some towns that belong to regional districts
are also assigned a reference group (e.g. Canaan,
which is in regional district 1).