N. Hampton Students Top State NECAP Averages

North Hampton School continued its strong performances and showed some growth in the New England Common Assessment Program, as results from the spring 2012 science testing show students are far above the state averages across the board.

The science NECAPs are administered in New Hampshire to fourth, eighth, and eleventh graders. North Hampton School is an elementary and middle school, and both the number of fourth grade students and the number of eighth grade students who tested "proficient" or above — 93 and 64 percent, respectively — far exceeded the state averages of 53 percent and 32 percent in those grade levels.

Here's a breakdown of the district's science NECAP scores (which can be found here on the state's website and attached as PDFs to this story):

FOURTH GRADE

• Forty-three total students tested (was 51 students last year).
• Three students, or seven percent, achieved scores in the highest testing category, "proficient with distinction." The state average for this level was 1 percent. At a local level, this is an increase over the one student, or two percent of total students tested, who achieved this ranking last year.
• Thirty-seven students, or 86 percent, tested "proficient." The state average was 52 percent. The local score for this level remained the same as the previous year, during which was 86 percent, or 44 total students, tested as proficient.
• A sterling 93 percent of students tested proficient or above this year, which is an increase over the 88 percent who obtained that level of testing last year and this year is 29 percentage points higher than the state average of 64 percent.
• No students tested "substantially below proficient," the lowest testing level. The state average for this level was 9 percent. At the local level, there was one student, or two percent of total students, who tested in this level last year.

EIGHTH GRADE

• Fifty-seven total students tested (was 46 last year).
• Six students, or 11 percent, achieved scores in the highest testing category, "proficient with distinction." The state average for this level was 1 percent. At the local level, this number has increased each of the last two years; a year ago there were three students, or seven percent of total students tested, who tested at this level, and there were 4 percent two years ago.
• Thirty students, or 53 percent, tested "proficient." The state average was 31 percent. At a local level, there were 26 students, or 57 percent, who achieved this ranking last year.
• The number of students who tested proficient or above in 2012 remained the same as last year at 64 percent.
• The number of students "substantially below proficient," the lowest testing level, increased from one student in 2011 to two students this year, accounting for a two percent increase in that category from 2 percent last year to 4 percent this year. The state average for this year was 19 percent.