Three Norwalk Public Schools High Schools Rank Among Connecticut’s Best

Three Norwalk Public Schools high schools have earned places among Connecticut’s top 100 public high schools in Niche’s 2027 rankings of Connecticut’s 210 public high schools. The Center for Global Studies ranked No. 14, P-TECH Norwalk No. 41, and Brien McMahon High School No. 55.

Carver congratulates the students, teachers, and school leaders at all three schools. These rankings recognize school communities where young people learn, find their strengths, and prepare for what comes next. We are proud of the dedication students bring to that work every day and of the educators who guide and encourage them.

As a partner of Norwalk Public Schools, Carver has the privilege of supporting students’ learning beyond the school day, from early grades through high school. We celebrate this recognition with our NPS partners and look forward to continuing our work together for every Norwalk student.

From Curiosity to Careers: How Carver Helps Students Explore What’s Next

September is National Workforce Development Month. It is a time to recognize the people and programs that help young people build skills for the future. At Carver, that work begins long before a student applies for a job.

Across our K–12 programs, students have opportunities to discover interests, try new things, and grow more confident in what they can do. In elementary school, hands-on enrichment invites children to ask questions, solve problems, create, and work with others. These experiences build curiosity and persistence while making learning engaging beyond the school day.

As students move through middle school, Carver helps them connect what they are learning to the world around them. Academic support, enrichment, and opportunities to explore new interests give students room to develop their strengths and begin imagining different futures.

In high school, those possibilities become more concrete. Through Carver Edge, students can explore college and careers, develop their voices, and pursue opportunities that match their goals. Paid internships offer experience in a workplace. New pathways, including EMT and bookkeeping training, are designed to help students work toward professional credentials before graduation.

Workforce development is about more than preparing for a first job. Students also need communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and the confidence to pursue a path they may not yet know exists. Carver educators and staff help students build those skills at every stage, from an elementary school activity that sparks a new interest to a high school internship that turns an interest into experience.

National Workforce Development Month reminds us that tomorrow’s workforce is in today’s classrooms and afterschool programs. Carver is proud to help students in Norwalk and Bridgeport discover what they enjoy, see where it might lead, and take their next steps with purpose.

Introducing Carver Edge: More Ways for High School Students to Explore What’s Next

What sparks a student’s curiosity? For one teen, it might be telling a story through a podcast. For another, it might be building a robot, exploring a health career, or learning what it takes to succeed in a first job.

This school year, Carver is introducing Carver Edge, a new set of opportunities shaped around high school students’ interests and future goals. Students can choose focused activities offered in cycles of up to 15 weeks, giving them room to try something new and develop practical skills.

Carver Edge offerings include podcast production through Carver Voice; career preparation workshops covering interviews, résumés, and workplace communication; and Carver Innovators, where students can explore activities such as robotics, drones, chess, and coding. Health and wellness activities will support students’ physical and emotional well-being.

Students age 16 and older can also pursue driver education or longer-term bookkeeping and EMT credential programs. For ninth graders interested in leadership and working with children, the Counselor in Training program will offer supervised job-shadowing in Carver’s elementary school programs. Students who successfully complete that program will be eligible for a guaranteed paid Junior Counselor position in a Carver summer program.

Carver Edge adds to Carver’s existing Senior Youth Development Program, which continues to provide academic support and enrichment. Students may participate in both, combining help with schoolwork and opportunities to explore their interests.

As Carver Edge develops, student interests and feedback will help shape future offerings. The goal is to give young people more ways to discover their strengths, build confidence, and take their next steps toward college, careers, and life beyond high school.

From Kindergarten to High School: A Summer of Learning and Discovery with Carver

For 1,034 students, summer with Carver meant more than a break from the school year. Across 13 summer programs, children and teens explored new interests, strengthened academic skills, built friendships, and prepared for the grades ahead.

In Bridgeport, Carver’s Kick-Off to Kindergarten program welcomed 75 incoming kindergarteners across six classrooms. Through early literacy, math, science, and activities that supported social and emotional growth, students began building the confidence to enter school ready to learn.

In Norwalk, summer enrichment camps brought learning and recreation together. Certified teachers led hands-on math and literacy activities, while students made time for art, physical play, and trips to places including the Maritime Aquarium, Stepping Stones Museum, and the Bronx Zoo. At Kendall Elementary School, Carver also extended the Norwalk Public Schools Summer Academy day with afternoon enrichment, recreation, and wellness activities.

Summer provided a chance to prepare for a new school. Carver’s middle school transition programs served 246 rising sixth graders, helping them get to know their new schools and peers through academic projects, enrichment, and shared experiences. High school transition programs served 61 rising ninth graders, with activities designed to strengthen academic and social readiness as students approached their first year of high school.

Learning also took students beyond the classroom. Through Carver’s partnership with Ridgebury Farms, campers spent time with animals and explored nature in sessions guided by a licensed mental health counselor. At the Ecology School in Maine, 85 students in grades 6–10 took part in outdoor activities ranging from canoeing and tide pool exploration to gardening and birdwatching. Returning students arrived early to welcome the new sixth-grade participants, putting their own leadership skills into practice.

From a child’s first steps toward kindergarten to a teenager’s preparation for high school, each program offered a different way to grow. Together, they made summer a season of learning, connection, and discovery for Carver students.

Our Cultures, Our Voices, Our Strength: Carver Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

From September 15 through October 15, Carver proudly joins Norwalk Public Schools in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and the histories, cultures, achievements, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans.

This observance holds special meaning for the Carver community. Nearly 60% of the students we serve identify as Hispanic, and more than half of all NPS students proudly share this heritage. The languages, traditions, experiences, and aspirations of Hispanic students and families are therefore not simply part of an annual celebration; they are essential to the identity and vitality of Carver, our schools, and Norwalk itself.

Every day, Carver students bring their cultures and perspectives into classrooms, after-school programs, summer learning, leadership activities, creative projects, internships, and college and career preparation. Their voices strengthen our programs, deepen our understanding of one another, and help shape our community's future.

Hispanic and Latino Americans have made lasting contributions as educators, entrepreneurs, public servants, artists, scientists, advocates, and leaders. Hispanic Heritage Month gives us an opportunity to learn more about those contributions while also recognizing the young people in our own community who are building upon that legacy.

The celebration begins on September 15 because that date marks the independence anniversaries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its independence on September 16, followed by Chile on September 18. What began as a week-long national observance in 1968 expanded to a full month in 1988, allowing more time to honor the remarkable breadth and diversity of Hispanic heritage.

That diversity will take center stage at the fifth annual NPS Hispanic Heritage Festival on Thursday, October 22, from 5:45 to 8:00 p.m. at Brien McMahon High School.

This year’s theme—“UNIDOS, SOMOS MÁS: TOGETHER, WE ARE MORE”—beautifully expresses the spirit of both NPS and Carver. Students will share powerful performances in dance, music, visual arts, theater, and spoken word, celebrating the traditions, creativity, and achievements of Hispanic cultures.

Carver’s long-standing partnership with NPS is rooted in the belief that students thrive when schools, families, and community organizations work together. Cultural understanding and belonging are vital parts of that work. When students see their identities respected and their voices welcomed, they are better positioned to learn, lead, and imagine what is possible.

During Hispanic Heritage Month—and throughout the year—we celebrate our Hispanic students, families, educators, staff members, and community partners. We are grateful for all they contribute to Carver and Norwalk.

Together, we honor where we come from. Together, we elevate every voice. Together, we are more.

Progress Through Partnership: Celebrating Norwalk Public Schools

The story of Norwalk Public Schools is not captured by any single test score, superintendent’s tenure, or school year. It is a story of sustained effort across changing leadership, evolving academic standards, and the unprecedented disruption of a global pandemic.

Most importantly, it is a story of progress.

Since Carver began expanding its partnership with Norwalk Public Schools, the district’s four-year graduation rate has risen from approximately 84% to a record 92.6%. Norwalk has now ranked first in graduation rates among Connecticut’s larger urban districts for three consecutive years, and its latest rate stands well above the statewide average of 88.9%.

The district is also reaching important academic milestones. Norwalk students recently surpassed statewide growth rates in both English language arts and mathematics. Science performance exceeded the Connecticut average for the first time in the district’s available records. Following the extraordinary challenges of the pandemic, chronic absenteeism has fallen by nearly nine percentage points—from 26.8% in 2021–22 to 17.9% in the latest reported year.

These accomplishments belong first to Norwalk’s students. They also reflect the dedication of teachers, administrators, support professionals, families, Board of Education members, community partners, and successive district leaders who have continued building on one another’s work.

Carver has been honored to participate in that shared effort.

What began as an incremental expansion into Norwalk’s schools has grown into a district-wide partnership serving students from kindergarten through high school.

Throughout that journey, Carver has worked closely with every NPS superintendent and with principals across the district. Leadership has changed, but the essential relationship has remained constant: a mutual commitment to helping Norwalk’s young people succeed.

That collaboration now reaches every Norwalk public school. Certified teachers and Carver staff provide before-school, after-school, summer, transition, college-readiness, enrichment, wellness, and workforce-development opportunities. Carver’s role is not separate from the work of the schools. It is designed to reinforce and extend that work, giving students additional time, relationships, experiences, and support.

Norwalk students are graduating at a historic rate. Academic growth is exceeding statewide growth. Science performance has reached a new benchmark. Attendance is recovering since the pandemic. Those are meaningful achievements worthy of recognition.

As NPS prepares for its next chapter of leadership, Carver celebrates the educators and administrators who brought the district to this point and remains committed to the partnership that has connected our organizations through the years.

Carver is proud to continue that work alongside Norwalk Public Schools.

The Best Part of a New School Year? Seeing Students Find Their Place

The first days of school bring plenty of motion—new schedules, new teachers, new classmates, and new expectations. But as the school year settles into its rhythm, something more important begins: students find their place.

A familiar face welcomes them after school. A teacher notices when they need encouragement. A new friendship begins. A student discovers an activity, subject, or talent that makes the day feel a little more exciting.

These moments may seem small, but they are how confidence and belonging grow.

Across Carver’s programs, students are returning to communities where they are known, supported, challenged, and encouraged to imagine what comes next. Whether they are completing homework, creating something, exploring a career, playing on a team, or simply talking with a trusted adult, they are building connections that can shape the entire year.

A new school year is not defined only by its biggest achievements. It is also built through countless everyday moments when a young person realizes: I belong here. I can do this. Someone believes in me.

We are grateful to Carver’s students, families, educators, staff, volunteers, and partners for filling these opening weeks with possibility. The year is just beginning—and there is already so much to celebrate.

What We Tell Our Children About September 11

For today’s children, September 11, 2001, belongs to history. They did not witness the events of that morning, yet they grow up surrounded by adults who remember exactly where they were and how they felt.

A child may ask: Why do we still observe this day? Why do people become quiet when they talk about it? What are we supposed to remember?

We remember the nearly 3,000 lives that were lost. We remember the families whose lives were forever changed. We remember the firefighters, police officers, emergency workers, medical professionals, and ordinary people who moved toward danger to help strangers. We also remember the countless acts of kindness that followed—in neighborhoods, schools, houses of worship, and communities across the country.

Children do not need to carry the full weight of that terrible day. But they can understand what it taught us about courage and compassion.

They can understand that helpers are often ordinary people who choose to act when someone needs them. They can understand that communities are strongest when people look beyond their differences and care for one another. And they can understand that remembrance is not only about looking back—it is also about deciding what kind of people we will be today.

At Carver, we prepare young people to enter a complex and interconnected world with knowledge, confidence, and purpose. Part of that preparation is helping them recognize that their choices matter: offering kindness, standing against hatred, including someone who feels alone, serving their community, and becoming a source of hope for others.

On this September 11, we honor those who were lost and those who helped. We invite our young people to remember the simplest and most enduring lesson of that day:

When the world feels frightened or divided, each of us can choose to be a helper.

Show Us the Norwalk You See: Mayor Smyth Invites Young Artists to Enter Citywide Contest

What does Norwalk look like through your eyes?

Mayor Barbara Smyth is inviting young artists across the city to answer that question through “Norwalk Through Your Eyes,” an art contest open to all Norwalk students in kindergarten through Grade 12.

Students may create an original work portraying the Norwalk they know and value—its people, neighborhoods, schools, waterfront, parks, landmarks, cultural traditions, or an everyday moment that captures the character of our community. Entries will be judged in three age groups: Grades K–5, Grades 6–8, and Grades 9–12.

Each student may submit one original, two-dimensional work, including a drawing, painting, or original digital artwork. Entries may be no larger than 24 by 24 inches. AI-generated images, copyrighted material, and logos are not permitted: this contest is about each young artist’s own imagination, perspective, and creative voice.

Every entry must include a title and a brief artist statement of one to three sentences explaining the work and its connection to Norwalk.

The contest is accepting entries now through October 16, 2026. Selected artwork will be displayed at Norwalk City Hall, and winners will be recognized at a mayoral reception and featured through the City’s social-media channels. Winners are expected to be announced by October 31.

Carver encourages young people throughout Norwalk—not only experienced artists—to participate. Art can help us notice familiar places differently, share stories that might otherwise go unheard, and show others what makes our city meaningful. Your Norwalk may be a harbor view, a busy neighborhood, a family celebration, a school community, or a quiet moment known only to you.

Pick up your pencils, brushes, markers, or digital tools and show the city Norwalk through your eyes.

Visit the official Mayor’s Art Contest page for the online entry form, permission form, complete contest rules, and current artwork drop-off instructions.

Carver Edge: Building the Future Beyond the Classroom