Schools

The State of Education in New Hampshire

New Hampshire is known as having an excellent education system. Choosing a school system or private school that meets your child's individual needs can be a daunting task. The New Hampshire Department of Education web site is a great stepping off point in school selection. They have a helpful guide on how to select a school and they have profiles available of all of the school districts in the state.

On the Prudential Dinsmore Associates site you will find school district information links under the individual town highlight pages or at the bottom of this page. Each individual town page has links to parochial schools in that town. Parochial high schools are listed below.

The New Hampshire Department of Education site also has guidance on their site for home schooling alternatives. In general, school districts are supported by local property taxes. There is also a reapportionment under a statewide property tax formula, which provides state mandated funding for poorer school districts. Many of the school districts in southern New Hampshire have seen tremendous growth in recent years. Bedford, Exeter, Kingston and Windham have just built or are building new high schools in their communities.2007 National Assessment Educational Progress NAEP Results

Public kindergarten is available in some communities. The state has mandated that all school districts offer public kindergarten. Those communities that do not have public kindergartens normally have excellent private alternatives.

2007 National Assessment Educational Progress NAEP Results have been reported by the New Hampshire Department of Education. "The results in mathematics and reading for grades 4 and 8 show New Hampshire (NH) have again performed very well compared to the rest of the nation. There were 52 jurisdictions (states, territories, and the Department of Defense schools) that participated in the assessment involving over 800,000 students nationally at each grade and each subject.

This cycle marks the third consecutive NAEP state Assessment in which our state has participated. This state-level assessment is conducted every two years in math and reading and requires a state representative sample of students in each subject area in grades 4 and 8. The NH sample size ranges from 2600 to 3300 students per grade per subject and includes more than 120 twenty schools at grade 4 and nearly 100 schools at grade 8. The scores are given as an aggregate average scale score for the state resulting from the grade-appropriate performance of the stratified random sample. Because the assessment is administered to a state sample, there are no individual student scores or school scores. The NAEP scores for mathematics and for reading are based upon 0-500 scales that are defined separately for each subject.

NAEP results show New Hampshire fourth graders achieved an overall scale score of 249 in mathematics, above the national average of 239. In fourth grade reading, New Hampshire students' scale score was 229, while the national average was 220. New Hampshire's eighth graders had an overall scale score of 288 on the mathematics portion of the assessment, above the national average of 280. And in eighth grade reading, New Hampshire students' scale score was 270, while the national average was 261. When looking back to the 2003 assessments in these subject areas and grades, there is evidence of steady improvement. Highlights for our state by grade and subject area are listed below"

New Hampshire has a major initiative under way to improve high school education throughout the state. The High School remodeling project is designed to improve curriculum and methods of learning throughout the state.

Students here continue to do well on the SAT test. The New Hampshire Department of Education reports that, "New Hampshire continues to have a high participation rate; 82% of New Hampshire 's high school students took the SAT. NH also continues to perform above the national average. The mean scores were higher in critical reading (formally verbal), math and writing than the nation's schools. The score for critical reading was 520 compared to the national score of 503. The math score was 524 and the national score was 518. And in writing the score was 509 with the national score being 497. This data is based on the performance of students from all schools -- public, private, and parochial."

Saint Paul's School: Advances Studies Program

The state of New Hampshire is fortunate in having an exceptional junior year, summer program, offered to gifted high school students, at Saint Paul's School. This wonderful learning environment is a great place for students to explore and develop their individual learning goals. It is a great preparation for what lies ahead in college. Having had personal experience with the program, we would encourage anyone with a bright and motivated high school student to search out more information about this program.

Advanced Studies Program @ St. Paul's School

For further information please follow these links to the New Hampshire Department of Education web site for further information.

Private Education Alternatives

Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter New Hampshire

Southern New Hampshire is centrally located to take advantage of some of the most prestigious and innovative private and parochial schools in the nation. For parents who can afford it, a private school education can offer their children a foundation of strong learning skills that will equip them to succeed for the rest of their lives

On the New Hampshire Department of Education web site there is an excellent section on selecting a school for you child. For private and alternative schools they suggest you ask the following questions:

Is there an application process?
What is the application deadline?
Is anything else required in the application (test scores, interview, recommendations, application fees, etc.)?
Are test scores required for admission?
What are the ranges of scores for admitted students?
Do admissions requirements include a portfolio, an audition or statement of interest?
Are there any other admissions requirements?
Are admissions requirements published in languages other than English?
What is the tuition?
Is there a payment plan?
Is there a sliding scale for tuition, based on parish, church affiliation, or family income?
What are the other fees and expenses (room and board, uniforms, books, transportation, lab and computer fees, activity fees)?
What scholarships and loans are available?
Are students or their parents required to be of a particular faith?
Does the school have a policy on student participation in religious instruction and worship?
Does the school close for religious and federal holidays?
Does the school have the same schedule as the local public school?

Here are some of the exceptional choices for private education:

Derryfield School, Manchester, New Hampshire

The Derryfield School

Derryfield is an excellent private education alternative for residents in southern New Hampshire. This co-educational day school is within easy reach of most all the cities and towns in the area. The Derryfield web site explains that, "For more than 40 years, Derryfield has provided an environment where students learn and grow to be their best selves. How do we do it? It starts with academic programs for grades 6-12 that engage, challenge, and support students; small classes where nobody falls through the cracks; and teachers who do more than teach - they inspire. But Derryfield is more than classroom learning. Arts, athletics, and leadership opportunities are not add-ons here, but important ways for students to try something new in a totally safe environment; demonstrate talent and realize their potential; and to be a part of something greater than themselves. At Derryfield, it's OK to be who you are. In fact, it's expected. That's because Derryfield is a community where the adults really care about kids, where every student wants to be here, and where all of us know that being the best means looking for it in others."

Brook School, North Andover, Massachusetts
Brooks School - A college preparatory boarding and day school for grades 9-12
Phillips Andover Academy, Andover, Massachusetts
Phillips Academy Andover - an independent boarding high school
Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire
Phillips Exeter Academy | Home
St Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire
St. Paul's School
Austin Prep, North Reading, Massachusetts
Austin Preparatory School

Parochial High Schools:

Central Catholic High School, Lawrence, Massachusetts
Central Catholic High School
Trinity High School, Manchester, New Hampshire
Trinity High School > Home
Bishop Guertin High School, Nashua, New Hampshire
Bishop Guertin High School

Private Elementary Schools:

Hampstead Academy, Hampstead, New Hampshire
Hampstead Academy
Pike School, Andover, Massachusetts
The Pike School: Home

Parochial Elementary Schools:

Saint Joseph's Elementary, Salem, New Hampshire
Saint Joseph's Catholic School
Presentation of Mary Academy, Hudson, New Hampshire
Presentation of Mary Academy Web Site
Saint Patrick's School, Pelham, New Hampshire
St Patrick's School

Southern New Hampshire School Districts in Alphabetical order:

Amherst
Amherst Middle School
Amherst, Mont Vernon, Souhegan Superintendent - SAU #39
Bedford School District
Chester Academy
Derry Cooperative School District
Pinkerton Academy
East Kingston Elementary Home Page
Exeter, Brentwood, E. Kingston, Newfields, Kennsington, Stratham: SAU 16 NH School District Home Page
Hampstead School District
Winnacunnet High School
Hollis Schools
SAU 41 Hollis- Brookline NH
Hudson School District of New Hampshire: SAU81
Londonderry School District
Manchester School District
Merrimack School District
Nashua School District, Nashua NH
Newcastle: Welcome to SAU #50
Pelham: SAU #28 Home
City Of Portsmouth - School Department
Rye, New Castle, Newington School Administrative Unit 50
Salem School District
Sanborn Regional School District
Timberlane Regional School District (SAU55) - Atkinson, Danville, Plaistow, and Sandown
Welcome to the Windham, New Hampshire School District

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