This guide covers how Westport’s public school district is organized, what the rankings say, what the town spends, and what is under construction.
The schools
Westport Public Schools runs eight schools and a preschool.
| Level | Schools |
|---|---|
| Elementary | Coleytown, Greens Farms, Kings Highway, Long Lots, Saugatuck |
| Middle | Bedford, Coleytown |
| High | Staples |
| Preschool | Stepping Stones |
Elementary and middle school assignments depend on the address. Before you make an offer, confirm with the district which schools serve the house. Do not rely on a listing description, and do not assume that the nearest school is the assigned one.
Staples High School
Staples is the town’s only public high school.
The U.S. News ranking, released in August, is based on data from the 2023-24 school year. Niche’s ranking draws on a mix of government data and reviews. The two methods differ, and neither is a substitute for visiting.
What the town spends
Schools are the largest part of Westport’s budget. For fiscal 2026-27 the town approved $168,818,947 for education out of a total budget of $266,062,614, about 63 percent. The schools’ operating budget is $157,863,623, up 4.98 percent from the year before, with $10.1 million more for school debt service.
That spending is a large part of the property tax bill. Our revaluation story explains how the bill is calculated after the 2025 revaluation.
Long Lots, rebuilt
The town is replacing Long Lots Elementary School. The new building will not open in fall 2027 as first planned. Students are now scheduled to move in at the start of the January 2028 semester, with the project complete in August 2028.
“Everyone moves in at the start of the January semester in 2028,” Jay Keenan, chair of the building committee, said in May.
Newfield Construction is the contractor. By September, foundation work was about 75 percent complete, and the committee placed the project at stage four of 10 on its construction scale, footings and foundations. Rain, 11 inches in July and eight in September, and unexpected ledge slowed the work. The Westport Journal most recently put the cost at $103 million, after earlier reports of $100 million and $110 million. A state space waiver is expected to raise the state’s reimbursement rate.
“If you drive by you can actually see the shape of the school from the road,” Keenan said in September.
Families buying in the Long Lots attendance area should ask the district how students are housed until the new building opens.
Sources
- Westport Public Schools, District website, accessed Oct. 2026
- Patch, Staples High School among top 5 in CT, U.S. News & World Report, Aug. 18, 2026
- Niche, Staples High School, accessed Oct. 2026
- Westport Journal, $168.8M in schools funding approved as part of $266M town budget, May 6, 2026
- Westport Journal, New Long Lots school held back a semester, May 28, 2026
- Westport Journal, Progress at Long Lots school construction, Sept. 21, 2026
