Private Education in Bridgeport Aims to Set Students Up for Success

People generally have the vision that Connecticut’s Fairfield County is exclusively a place for the wealthy, in part because of the luxurious homes, strong education, and attractive beaches.  However, multiple towns do not fit the stereotype associated with the area.

One community in Fairfield County that does not meet this criterion is Bridgeport. The largest city in Connecticut, Bridgeport faces many disparities from the rest of Fairfield County, including public school education.

According to the Public School Review, Bridgeport Public School students have an average math proficiency of 16% compared to the 47% state average and reading proficiency of 29% compared to the 58% state average. Additionally, 50% of students who attend Bridgeport Public Schools are economically disadvantaged. Students attending Bridgeport Public Schools, already at a financial disadvantage, are put even further behind compared with peers in the region due to the persistent education gap.

The New York Times has reported that 94% of students graduate from the town of Fairfield, which borders Bridgeport, while only 63% of students graduate from Bridgeport’s public schools. It was also reported that some 5th graders in Bridgeport Public Schools read at a kindergarten level.

The ongoing situation prompted Patty Lewis to begin the Adam J. Lewis Academy in 2013, one of a number of private schools in the area. The academy is privately funded, but works to reduce the tuition for every student through donations.  

The Adam J. Lewis Academy (AJLA) is an independent, privately funded, non-profit school serving the underserved Bridgeport community, providing students with high-quality educational opportunities. AJLA was founded by Patty Lewis in honor of her late husband, Adam Lewis, who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and who received an educational opportunity at an early age.

According to Neal Edelson, the Director of Philanthropy and Strategic Development at Adam J. Lewis Academy, public education in Bridgeport is not only the worst in Fairfield County, but among the worst in the state. The academy works to close the education gap between Bridgeport and other towns in Fairfield County.

When they began in 2013, it was a pre-school with just a handful of students. Now they offer classes through the 4th grade to almost 400 students and have plans to expand one grade every year until they reach 8th grade.

The academy works to lessen the burden on parents by covering almost 90% of the tuition for most students, especially for those who are economically disadvantaged. 

The school not only provides educational opportunities to students, but also to their parents. Parents can take classes at a reduced cost at Housatonic Community College to gain more skills, certifications, improve resumes, and use additional education to find better job opportunities.

“A school psychologist works with parents to introduce them to Housatonic and their scholarship program,” said Edelson. 

Edelson explains that the school screens students at a young age for learning disabilities, continues to provide opportunities for their students, and that most students are performing above average. Edelson noted that 90% of brain connections are formed by the age of 5. Without a strong early education, it is challenging for students to be at the academic level they should be at, he added. The academy offers many tools to assist students including, an early morning breakfast program, nutritious lunches, special education, a music department, and specialized tutors.

Chair of the Policy Committee on the Board of Education of Trumbull, Connecticut, Tim Gallo says that Bridgeport faces more challenges than Trumbull, considering the size of the town alone. Gallo notes that the Trumbull Board of Education works with a $190 million budget, which is $17,000 per capita for their students. The amount of money spent on each student is only slightly more than Bridgeport, however Trumbull prides themselves on spending their money in the most efficient ways possible.

Trumbull is known for the quality of its education system because of their high graduation rate, test scores, and overall performance from students. Bridgeport, on the other hand, has numbers that don’t match Trumbull’s, even though they have a similar budget they spend on each student.

Bridgeport, which is about triple the size of Trumbull, has a budget of around $270 million, and allocates just under $17,000 per student. The issue is this budget is not enough to accommodate for the many student needs in the public school system. Gallo believes that this is not because the Bridgeport Board of Education has done a poor job using their budget, but because of the circumstances of the town, noting that “They have a lot more poverty, more students, and more single parents. They are also building a new high school.”

Connecticut has some of the largest gaps in the nation between the highest and lowest performing districts. Especially in Fairfield County, where Bridgeport is surrounded by wealthy towns, including Fairfield, the gaps are evident.

While the budget is not sufficient to support the large number of students, Gallo notes that it is also the circumstances. Trumbull and other districts face fewer of the challenges that Bridgeport must deal with, which affects their school budget.

“I can’t say we budget better and that is why our kids do better, '' said Gallo. “I think we do better in Trumbull because we are not faced with the same challenges as Bridgeport.”

The Bridgeport Hope School, Fairfield County SDA School, and Capital Preparatory Harbor School are other private schools located in Bridgeport providing students with the academic opportunities similar to those as the Adam J. Lewis Academy. While privately funded, they work with families to help get their children when they move out of the public school system.

Not receiving a proper education directly impacts families and children’s futures, according to Edelson. The academy is working to change the outcome for children growing up in Bridgeport.       

Without the proper funding, the education gaps will continue to exist, according to Gallo. The Adam J. Lewis Academy is working to change this reality; however, this issue has existed for years.      

Gallo remembers growing up in Fairfield County and hearing the same debates. It all boils down to money, according to Gallo. Education should be a priority; however, it becomes a challenge when the budget will only allow so much to be accomplished.

This story was reported and written by Connecticut resident Sarah Klepack, a junior at Endicott College pursuing studies in communication and digital journalism.