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Emma Hart Willard Elementary School

Where every student shines!

School Profile

School Profile

The text 'EMMA HART WILLARD' is visible on the brick wall.

    • Enrollment:  446
    • Avg. Class Size:  18.90
    • Total Teacher FTE:   40.40
    • Teachers with 3 or more years experience: 82.9%
    • Student-Teacher Ratio: 13:1
    • Per Pupil Expenditure: 17,465.00

     

  • Emma Hart Willard School is committed to maintaining a school climate and culture that promotes high academic expectations, as well as positive social and behavioral outcomes for students. Our Safe School Climate Plan details the current status and goals related to our school climate. Both students and staff at Willard School work to achieve these outcomes in many ways, including:  

    Character Education
    Our work is focused on the Pillars of Character: caring, citizenship, fairness, respect, responsibility, and trustworthiness. A staff committee meets to plan and implement various classroom lessons throughout the school year. Teachers also implement character lessons in various ways, including Morning Meetings and other Responsive Classroom strategies.  

    RULER Approach
    Developed by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, RULER is an evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning that helps students and staff Recognize, Understand, Label, Express, and Regulate emotions. Integrated across all grade levels, RULER uses core tools—such as the Charter, Mood Meter, Meta-Moment, and Blueprint—to build emotional intelligence, foster empathy, and create a safe, supportive learning community. Each month, students from each class are recognized for demonstrating strong social-emotional skills and character. These awards celebrate student success in academics, behavior, and positive interactions, and are announced during monthly grade-level assemblies and displayed outside the main office.  

    Code of Conduct
    The Code of Conduct hangs proudly throughout our school. As it is introduced to students, teachers discuss what each expectation of conduct looks like throughout different aspects of the school day.

  • Willard School's curriculum encompasses various research-based learning programs. The goal of our academic programs is to provide experiences which enable children to meet academic and social challenges and develop their potential as life-long learners. These programs include:

     

    English Language Arts

    • Wit & Wisdom: A comprehensive ELA curriculum that builds deep knowledge in history, science, and literature while developing strong reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through rich, authentic texts.

    Word Study

    • Words Their Way: A hands-on approach to word study that teaches students to look closely at words to discover the spelling patterns, syllable structures, and spelling-meaning connections needed for reading and writing.

    Mathematics

    • Illustrative Mathematics: A rigorous, problem-based curriculum fully aligned with standards, designed to foster deep conceptual understanding and coherence across grade bands.

    Science

    • Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): A content-rich, inquiry-driven science curriculum aligned with state standards to ensure a comprehensive, hands-on science education across all grades.

    Social Studies

    • Social Studies Framework: Built on the Connecticut State Standards and national frameworks to cultivate active inquiry in economics, geography, history, and civics.

    Different grade levels utilize additional research-based programs throughout the curriculum.

  • Emma Hart Willard School uses various forms of standardized testing throughout the school year. The goal of standardized testing is to create a picture of student growth, as well as to inform instruction in academic areas. The following standardized tests are integrated into our program:

    Each grade levels also utilized various district-wide literacy and math skill assessments to assess student growth and inform teacher instruction throughout the school year.

  • Emma Hart Willard School recognizes students, teachers, and parents throughout the school year for various achievements. Recognitions include:

    • Berlin Bravos
    • Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents Student Award (CAPSS)
    • Connecticut Assocation of Schools Celebration of the Arts Award
    • Connecticut Association of Schools Parent Volunteer Award
    • Connecticut Association of Schools Student Leadership Award (CAS)
    • Friends of Berlin Schools
    • Non-Certified Staff Member of the Year
    • Teacher of the Year