These Are The Best Elementary, Middle Schools In New Hampshire, New Ranking Says

NEW HAMPSHIRE — New rankings of the best elementary and middle schools in New Hampshire were released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

The news outlet based its 2024 Best Elementary and Middle School rankings on publicly available U.S. Department of Education data, focusing on student proficiency in core subject areas.

In New Hampshire, the Top 10 elementary schools are:

1. Rye Elementary School
2. New Franklin School in Portsmouth
3. Bernice A. Ray School in Hanover
4. Riddle Brook School in Bedford
5. Lafayette Regional School in Francona
6. Mont Vernon Village School
7. Moharimet School in Madbury
8. Mast Way School in Lee
9. Memorial School in Bedford
10. Peter Woodbury School in Bedford

The top 10 middle schools in New Hampshire are:

1. Academy for Science and Design Charter School in Nashua
2. Mckelvie Intermediate School in Bedford
3. Frances C. Richmond School in Hanover
4. Rye Junior High School
5. Windham Middle School
6. Greenland Central School
7. Ross A. Lurgio Middle School
8. Nottingham School
9. North Hampton School
10. Hollis-Brookline Middle School

The U.S. News list includes data on more than 79,000 public elementary and middle schools nationwide.

In the analysis, U.S. News looked closely at state assessments of students who were proficient or above-proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts, while also accounting for student backgrounds, achievement in core subjects, and how well schools are educating their students. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.

LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News, said the state and district-level rankings are intended to give parents a snapshot of their child’s school and how well it’s doing within its community.

“Easily accessible data on student-teacher ratio, district spending, and the number of school counselors available at the school can keep parents informed and involved,” Jones said.

To be included in district-level rankings, at least two of the top-performing schools must rank in the top 75 percent of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for district-level recognition.