Stamford's public school system offers several special programs, including bilingual and special education. Considered one of the finest systems in Connecticut, Stamford's enjoys one of the state's lowest student/teacher ratios. Teachers consistently earn national recognition for their innovative programs and are invited to share their expertise with their peers at conferences across the country. Stamford has had more Presidential Scholars than any other public schools system in Connecticut. Five schools offer magnet programs, each with a unique academic focus. Students are selected for the magnet programs via a lottery system.
The following is a summary of data regarding Stamford public schools as of the 2002–2003 school year.
Total enrollment: 15,231
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 12
junior high/middle schools: 4
senior high schools: 2
Student/teacher ratio: 12.3:1
Teacher salaries (2005)
average: $41,431
Funding per pupil: $13,337
The Stamford Catholic Regional School System and other parochial, private, and technical schools supplement Stamford's public school system.
Public Schools Information: Stamford Public Schools, PO Box 9310, Stamford, CT 06902; telephone (203)977-4105
The University of Bridgeport's Stamford Campus offers graduate programs in Business (M.B.A.), Computer Science, Education, Counseling, Human Resource Development and Education Management and an undergraduate degree program, called IDEAL, for working adults. The University of Connecticut's Department of Plant Science maintains the 63-acre Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford. The university offers a master's of business administration program at the Stamford campus, as well as B.S. or B.A. degrees in American Studies, family studies, economics, English, history, political science, psychology, sociology, and general studies. A teacher certification program for college graduates is offered by the Neag School of Education. The J. M. Wright Regional Vocational Technical School provides programs in more than 25 trades and technical areas, and Stamford Hospital's School of Radiologic Technology has an allied medical program. The Westlawn Institute of Marine technology offers correspondence programs.
Stamford's Ferguson Public Library system consists of a main library, three branches, and a bookmobile. The collection includes nearly 500,000 books and 1,200 periodicals. In 2004 there were 965,000 visitors to the library, and nearly 100,000 visitors to the library's website, which was named the top online library access in Connecticut. A $17,000 federal "No Child Left Out" grant helped the library's innovative Special Needs Center, which provides videos, books, and other materials to help parents of children with disabilities. Multimedia and electronic resources, art works, and Internet access are available to the public. The library is a depository for United States government and Connecticut State documents, and maintains extensive material on industries, business and management, genealogy, and local history.
Special libraries include those of the Xerox Corporation Legal Department, Clairol, Inc., CYTEC Industries, and GE Investments.
IRI Research Institute studies international agriculture and the University of Connecticut at Stamford conducts botanical research.
Public Library Information: Ferguson Library, One Public Library Plaza, Stamford, CT 06904; telephone (203)964-1000; fax (203)357-9098