Best Cities in New Hampshire for Schools

Welcome to SchoolDigger, your premier source for city-wide school rankings! Our user-friendly platform focuses on test scores, presenting a transparent, data-driven comparison to help you navigate the educational scene. Explore top-rated cities in New Hampshire and make informed decisions for your child's academic future. With our comprehensive database, uncover the best-performing schools within each city, evaluate their performance, and gain valuable insights. Trust SchoolDigger.com to guide you in finding the perfect city for your child's education. Embark on your journey to academic success right here!

Year after year, SchoolDigger is always the first to publish New Hampshire test scores and rankings. Other sites use stale test score data that are several years old! Be in the know with the very latest performance metrics.

The list is updated annually upon the release of the test scores by the New Hampshire Department of Education. The most recent update was on Monday, September 9, 2024.

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Rank (of 173)	City	# Elementary Schools	# Middle Schools	# High Schools	# Private Schools*	Rank score (2024)	Rank (2023)	Rank change from 2023
1^st	Hanover	1	1	1	1	0.985	4	3
2^nd	Franconia	1	0	0	0	0.979	3	1
3^rd	Grantham	1	0	0	0	0.974	1	2
4^th	South Hampton	1	0	0	1	0.97	2	2
5^th	Rye	1	1	0	3	0.965	12	7
6^th	Mason	2	0	0	0	0.962	7	1
7^th	Mont Vernon	1	0	0	0	0.953	13	6
8^th	Durham	0	1	1	0	0.948	11	3
9^th	Lyme	1	0	0	1	0.944	21	12
10^th	Bedford	3	2	1	5	0.938	5	5
11^th	Portsmouth	3	1	1	1	0.937	16	5
12^th	Lee	1	0	0	0	0.936	8	4
13^th	Greenland	1	0	0	0	0.926	24	11
14^th	Hollis	1	2	1	1	0.923	14
15^th	Brentwood	1	0	0	1	0.919	22	7
16^th	Hampton Falls	1	0	0	1	0.914	10	6
17^th	Madbury	1	0	0	0	0.906	6	11
18^th	Newfields	1	0	0	0	0.897	48	30
19^th	Enfield	1	0	0	0	0.893	19
20^th	New Boston	1	0	0	2	0.885	15	5
21^st	Windham	2	2	1	1	0.884	20	1
22^nd	Canterbury	1	0	0	2	0.876	49	27
23^rd	Bethlehem	1	1	1	4	0.87	42	19
24^th	North Hampton	1	0	0	1	0.867	9	15
25^th	Contoocook	0	2	1	1	0.863	17	8
26^th	Surry	1	0	0	0	0.855	70	44
27^th	New London	1	0	0	0	0.842	39	12
28^th	Bow	1	1	1	1	0.834	31	3
29^th	Hooksett	2	1	0	2	0.829	27	2
30^th	Brookline	1	1	0	0	0.829	41	11
31^st	Nottingham	1	0	0	0	0.829	18	13
32^nd	North Walpole	1	0	0	0	0.825	98	66
33^rd	Thornton	1	0	0	0	0.821	26	7
34^th	East Kingston	1	0	0	0	0.821	84	50
35^th	Holderness	1	0	0	1	0.818	29	6
36^th	Amherst	1	1	1	2	0.81	28	8
37^th	Hampton	2	1	1	1	0.81	32	5
38^th	Kensington	1	0	0	0	0.808	33	5
39^th	Center Sandwich	1	0	0	0	0.803		(n/a)
40^th	Stratham	1	1	0	2	0.801	37	3
41^st	Alstead	1	1	1	0	0.8	47	6
42^nd	New Durham	1	0	0	0	0.795	25	17
43^rd	Sunapee	1	1	1	1	0.793	23	20
44^th	Lebanon	1	1	2	1	0.79	38	6
45^th	West Lebanon	1	0	0	0	0.782	72	27
46^th	Auburn	1	0	0	1	0.755	35	11
47^th	Meriden	1	0	0	1	0.755	44	3
48^th	Walpole	1	1	0	0	0.746	50	2
49^th	Northwood	1	0	1	0	0.729	34	15
50^th	Exeter	4	1	4	6	0.727	75	25
51^st	Gilmanton Iw	1	0	0	0	0.706	40	11
52^nd	Atkinson	1	0	0	0	0.705	30	22
53^rd	Hampstead	1	1	0	1	0.704	36	17
54^th	Danville	1	0	0	0	0.684	55	1
55^th	Cornish	1	0	0	0	0.675	79	24
56^th	Deerfield	1	0	0	1	0.663	62	6
57^th	New Hampton	1	0	0	2	0.658	43	14
58^th	Newmarket	1	1	1	0	0.656	59	1
59^th	Salisbury	1	0	0	0	0.65	91	32
60^th	Chesterfield	1	0	0	0	0.648	64	4
61^st	Chichester	1	0	0	0	0.646	80	19
62^nd	Moultonborough	1	1	1	0	0.646	67	5
63^rd	Goffstown	2	1	1	4	0.645	52	11
64^th	Bristol	2	1	1	0	0.641	65	1
65^th	Salem	7	1	2	4	0.641	60	5
66^th	Plymouth	2	0	1	3	0.634	61	5
67^th	Warner	1	0	0	0	0.632	94	27
68^th	Bradford	2	0	0	0	0.62	54	14
69^th	Gilford	1	1	1	0	0.619	57	12
70^th	Campton	1	0	0	0	0.613	51	19
71^st	Jefferson	1	0	0	0	0.607		(n/a)
72^nd	Wolfeboro	1	2	1	1	0.603	93	21
73^rd	Sanbornton	1	0	0	2	0.603	133	60
74^th	Litchfield	1	1	1	1	0.602	83	9
75^th	Rollinsford	1	0	0	0	0.598	143	68
76^th	Belmont	1	1	1	0	0.596	107	31
77^th	Fremont	1	0	0	0	0.592	99	22
78^th	Merrimack	4	2	1	6	0.587	87	9
79^th	Meredith	1	1	1	0	0.586	86	7
80^th	Stoddard	1	0	0	0	0.577	109	29
81^st	Ashland	1	0	0	0	0.575	81
82^nd	Peterborough	2	1	1	1	0.565	82
83^rd	Londonderry	4	1	1	6	0.563	74	9
84^th	Barrington	2	1	0	0	0.562	73	11
85^th	Dunbarton	1	0	0	0	0.56	68	17
86^th	Candia	1	0	0	1	0.556	46	40
87^th	Boscawen	1	0	0	0	0.556	63	24
88^th	North Sutton	0	1	1	0	0.553	89	1
89^th	Center Tuftonboro	1	0	0	0	0.547	45	44
90^th	Dover	4	1	1	6	0.54	76	14
91^st	Raymond	1	1	1	0	0.532	96	5
92^nd	Strafford	1	0	0	0	0.518	110	18
93^rd	Antrim	1	1	0	1	0.514	128	35
94^th	Hudson	4	1	1	5	0.51	77	17
95^th	Wilton	1	1	1	3	0.504	117	22
96^th	Newton	1	0	0	1	0.496	131	35
97^th	Webster	1	0	0	0	0.483	124	27
98^th	Lempster	2	0	0	0	0.478	71	27
99^th	Milford	2	1	1	0	0.475	95	4
100^th	Sandown	2	0	0	1	0.474	66	34
101^st	Keene	5	1	3	8	0.472	119	18
102^nd	Lincoln	1	1	1	0	0.468	53	49
103^rd	Nashua	13	4	4	15	0.459	104	1
104^th	Gorham	1	1	1	0	0.458	90	14
105^th	Rindge	1	0	0	2	0.453	115	10
106^th	Effingham	1	0	0	0	0.449	69	37
107^th	New Ipswich	1	1	1	0	0.449	97	10
108^th	Canaan	1	1	1	1	0.439	147	39
109^th	Plaistow	1	1	1	1	0.434	92	17
110^th	Chester	1	0	0	2	0.433	123	13
111^th	Westmoreland	1	0	0	0	0.432	118	7
112^th	Concord	5	2	2	12	0.426	126	14
113^th	Lisbon	1	1	1	0	0.421	88	25
114^th	Monroe	1	0	0	0	0.405		(n/a)
115^th	Epping	1	1	1	1	0.402	106	9
116^th	Pembroke	2	1	1	1	0.395	129	13
117^th	Langdon	1	0	1	0	0.391	105	12
118^th	Pelham	1	1	1	5	0.377	100	18
119^th	Greenfield	1	0	0	1	0.376	58	61
120^th	Farmington	1	1	1	0	0.373	113	7
121^st	Woodsville	1	0	1	0	0.356	78	43
122^nd	Andover	1	0	0	1	0.349	125	3
123^rd	Hillsborough	1	1	1	2	0.349	140	17
124^th	Madison	1	0	0	0	0.346	102	22
125^th	Marlborough	1	0	0	0	0.339	132	7
126^th	Gilsum	1	0	0	0	0.338	169	43
127^th	Colebrook	1	0	1	0	0.333	156	29
128^th	Littleton	1	2	2	0	0.323	108	20
129^th	Kingston	1	1	1	0	0.309	121	8
130^th	Derry	5	2	2	8	0.309	112	18
131^st	Bartlett	1	0	0	0	0.299	144	13
132^nd	Penacook	1	1	2	0	0.298	150	18
133^rd	Alton	1	0	1	0	0.29	139	6
134^th	Laconia	3	1	1	3	0.289	145	11
135^th	Conway	3	1	1	0	0.286	146	11
136^th	Epsom	1	0	0	0	0.278	111	25
137^th	Seabrook	1	1	0	0	0.268	162	25
138^th	FitzWilliam	1	0	0	0	0.256	142	4
139^th	Lancaster	1	1	1	3	0.248	157	18
140^th	Wentworth	1	0	0	0	0.248		(n/a)
141^st	Bennington	1	0	0	0	0.239	85	56
142^nd	Milton	1	1	1	1	0.237	167	25
143^rd	Center Ossipee	1	0	0	0	0.235	164	21
144^th	Henniker	1	0	0	0	0.232	101	43
145^th	Loudon	1	1	1	0	0.231	127	18
146^th	Charlestown	1	1	0	0	0.224	152	6
147^th	Jaffrey	1	1	1	1	0.223	122	25
148^th	Rochester	7	1	2	5	0.22	153	5
149^th	Milan	1	0	0	0	0.209	103	46
150^th	Tilton	0	1	1	1	0.208	134	16
151^st	Groveton	1	1	1	0	0.207	154	3
152^nd	Pittsfield	1	1	1	0	0.203	135	17
153^rd	Whitefield	1	0	1	0	0.202	137	16
154^th	Weare	1	1	1	1	0.202	159	5
155^th	North Haverhill	0	1	0	0	0.199	151	4
156^th	Middleton	1	0	0	0	0.188	130	26
157^th	Manchester	16	6	7	27	0.187	155	2
158^th	Nelson	1	0	0	0	0.184		(n/a)
159^th	Hinsdale	1	1	1	0	0.169	165	6
160^th	Center Barnstead	1	0	0	0	0.166	163	3
161^st	Somersworth	2	1	1	2	0.156	158	3
162^nd	Rumney	1	0	0	0	0.146	138	24
163^rd	Swanzey	2	1	1	0	0.14	148	15
164^th	Tamworth	1	0	0	0	0.13	114	50
165^th	North Conway	1	0	1	0	0.126	56	109
166^th	Berlin	1	1	1	3	0.124	160	6
167^th	Troy	1	0	0	0	0.12	141	26
168^th	Northfield	2	0	1	1	0.111	136	32
169^th	Claremont	3	1	2	2	0.104	161	8
170^th	Franklin	1	1	1	0	0.067	171	1
171^st	Sanbornville	1	0	0	0	0.054	168	3
172^nd	Winchester	1	0	0	1	0.048	170	2
173^rd	Newport	2	2	2	3	0.027	149	24

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About our rankings:

* Private schools are not used in determining city rank.
Schooldigger calculates school rankings based on test scores released by the New Hampshire Department of Education.
These rankings were last updated on September 9, 2024, and are based on the most recent test scores available. We update rankings as we receive new test scores from the New Hampshire Department of Education, usually on a yearly basis.
Our sources of data include the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education and the New Hampshire Department of Education.
For more information about our ranking process, please see our Ranking FAQ. Details about our methodology are here.

Educational resources:

Student-Teacher Ratios and their Impact on Class Sizes & School Selection

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): Transforming Education in America

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the New Hampshire Department of Education.