Best NH Schools For Grades K-8: U.S. News

NEW HAMPSHIRE — A new ranking sorts out the best elementary and middle schools in New Hampshire, according to a new list released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

For the inaugural list, U.S. News published rankings and data on more than 80,000 public elementary and middle schools across the United States.

Schools are ranked at the state and district levels. The best charter schools and best magnet schools ranked as stand-alone categories.

The top-ranked elementary school is the Maude H. Trefethen School in New Castle. The top-ranked middle school is the Academy for Science and Design Charter in Nashua.

Below is a look at the top 15 elementary and middle schools in New Hampshire, according to U.S. News. You can check out the full list here.

Elementary schools

1. Maude H. Trefethen School, New Castle
2. Memorial School, Bedford
3. Hollis Primary School, Hollis
4. Riddle Brook School, Bedford
5. New Franklin School, Portsmouth
6. Rye Elementary School, Rye
7. Bernice A. Ray School, Hanover
8. Grantham Village School, Grantham
9. Little Harbour School, Portsmouth
10. Greenland Central School, Greenland
11. Gilmanton Elementary School, Gilmanton
12. Mary C. Dondero Elementary School, Portsmouth
13. Moharimet School, Madbury
14. Peter Woodbury School, Bedford
15. Adeline C. Marston School, Hampton

Middle schools

1. Academy for Science and Design Charter, Nashua
2. Rye Junior High School, Rye
3. North Hampton School, North Hampton
4. Ross A. Lurgio Middle School, Bedford
5. Nottingham Elementary School, Nottingham
6. Profile Junior High School, Bethlehem
7. Windham Middle School, Windham
8. Frances C. Richmond School, Hanover
9. Greenland Central School, Greenland
10. McKelvie Intermediate School, Bedford
11. Hampton Academy, Hampton
12. Portsmouth Middle School, Portsmouth
13. Gilford Middle School, Gilford
14. Oyster River Middle School, Durham
15. Amherst Middle School, Amherst

To determine the rankings, U.S. News used data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze two areas at each school:

• Math and reading proficiency — or how well students perform on state assessments.
• Math and reading performance — or how well they perform compared with expectations.

The state assessment data used in the rankings is from the 2018-19 school year and, therefore, predates any effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on test-taking.

Nationally, California has 5,534 ranked elementary schools — the most of any state — followed by Texas at 4,446; New York at 2,211; Florida at 2,128; and Illinois at 2,038 schools.

California also has the most ranked middle schools with 2,319, followed by Texas at 1,942; Illinois at 1,243; New York at 1,219; and Florida at 997.

See the complete list of 2021’s Best K-8 Schools