Is Portsmouth High School a good school?

Yes! Portsmouth High School is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 4 th of 87 New Hampshire high schools.

How many students attend Portsmouth High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,032 students attended Portsmouth High School.

What is the racial makeup of Portsmouth High School?

Students at Portsmouth High School are 82% White, 8% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 1% African American.

What schools feed into Portsmouth High School?

Portsmouth High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Little Harbour School Elementary : Mary C. Dondero Elementary School Elementary : New Franklin School Middle : Portsmouth Middle School

Portsmouth High School

Summary:

Portsmouth High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 with an enrollment of 1,032 students in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, which is part of the Oyster River Coop School District. This top-performing school consistently ranks among the best in the state, with exceptional academic outcomes and a diverse student population.

Portsmouth High School stands out for its strong academic performance, with 79% of students proficient or better in reading and 59% proficient or better in mathematics, significantly higher than the state averages. The school ranks 4th out of 87 high schools in New Hampshire, reflecting its commitment to academic excellence. Notably, the school's performance is exceptional across different subgroups, with the school ranking 5th out of 81 high schools for female students, 8th out of 82 high schools for male students, 2nd out of 14 high schools for Asian students, and 7th out of 20 high schools for Hispanic students. The school's special education students also perform remarkably well, with the school ranking 4th out of 32 high schools in the state for this subgroup.

While Portsmouth High School's student population is predominantly white (81.69%), it has a more diverse racial makeup compared to many of the surrounding schools, with higher percentages of Hispanic (4.84%), Asian (4.55%), and multi-racial (7.66%) students. This diversity, combined with the school's strong academic performance across different subgroups, suggests a focus on equity and inclusion that sets it apart from many other high schools in the region. Nearby schools like Oyster River High School and Exeter High School also demonstrate strong academic performance, highlighting the high-quality education available in the area.

Detail:

Public 9-12

50 Andrew Jarvis Dr.
Portsmouth, NH 03801-5474

(603) 436-7100

District: Portsmouth School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
4^th of 87 New Hampshire High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,004

Feeder schools for Portsmouth High School:

Elementary:	Little Harbour School
	Mary C. Dondero Elementary School
	New Franklin School
Middle:	Portsmouth Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.7

Number of students: 1,032

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.7%

Two or more races:

7.7%

Hispanic:

4.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 10.9%

See top rated New Hampshire high schools

Compare Portsmouth High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Portsmouth High School ranks better than 95.4% of high schools in New Hampshire. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 92.1. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (81.7%), two or more races (7.7%), Hispanic (4.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 10.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Portsmouth High School is 11.7. (See more...)

Compare Portsmouth High School employs 88 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Portsmouth High School is $19,004.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Portsmouth High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Portsmouth High School 4^th of 87 New Hampshire public high schools. (See Portsmouth High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Portsmouth School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Portsmouth School District 12^th of 163 New Hampshire school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Portsmouth High School?

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Rank History for Portsmouth High School

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Rank History for all students at Portsmouth High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NH State Percentile
2009	82.97	7^th	79	91.1%
2010	64.02	26^th	81	67.9%
2011	81.05	11^th	81	86.4%
2012	71.66	19^th	83	77.1%
2013	60.93	27^th	83	67.5%
2014	68.28	23^rd	85	72.9%
2015	38.09	45^th	77	41.6%
2016	77.90	14^th	84	83.3%
2017	86.03	10^th	82	87.8%
2018	72.37	17^th	81	79.0%
2021	65.19	22^nd	84	73.8%
2022	72.21	16^th	85	81.2%
2023	86.21	12^th	85	85.9%
2024	92.10	4^th	87	95.4%

See the entire list of New Hampshire High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Portsmouth High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NH State Percentile
2021	36.07	1^st	2	50.0%
2022	58.07	4^th	7	42.9%
2023	68.34	3^rd	10	70.0%
2024	63.22	5^th	10	50.0%

See the entire list of Best New Hampshire High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Portsmouth High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NH State Percentile
2018	55.25	8^th	21	61.9%
2019	47.54	13^th	31	58.1%
2021	34.48	12^th	14	14.3%
2022	50.17	15^th	32	53.1%
2023	76.87	5^th	29	82.8%
2024	79.61	4^th	32	87.5%

See the entire list of Best New Hampshire High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Female students at Portsmouth High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NH State Percentile
2018	74.18	10^th	60	83.3%
2019	67.93	17^th	63	73.0%
2021	66.79	12^th	59	79.7%
2022	73.18	17^th	79	78.5%
2023	83.75	12^th	78	84.6%
2024	90.91	5^th	81	93.8%

See the entire list of Best New Hampshire High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Portsmouth High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NH State Percentile
2018	68.57	11^th	61	82.0%
2019	66.77	14^th	61	77.0%
2021	64.07	17^th	60	71.7%
2022	73.08	14^th	78	82.1%
2023	83.63	15^th	78	80.8%
2024	91.46	8^th	82	90.2%

See the entire list of Best New Hampshire High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Portsmouth High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NH State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	88.39	2^nd	14	85.7%

See the entire list of Best New Hampshire High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Portsmouth High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NH State Percentile
2018	76.75	1^st	7	85.7%
2019	57.00	3^rd	9	66.7%
2021	79.03	1^st	5	80.0%
2022	60.27	3^rd	9	66.7%
2024	56.76	7^th	20	65.0%

See the entire list of Best New Hampshire High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Portsmouth High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NH State Percentile
2018	79.96	9^th	64	85.9%
2019	71.57	14^th	66	78.8%
2021	65.36	15^th	67	77.6%
2022	73.08	16^th	85	81.2%
2023	85.25	11^th	83	86.7%
2024	93.19	3^rd	87	96.6%

See the entire list of Best New Hampshire High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: New Hampshire Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: New Hampshire Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Portsmouth High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1990	1123	62	30	15	5	n/a	n/a	1235
1991	931	45	23	11	14	n/a	n/a	1024
1992	861	37	16	4	1	n/a	n/a	919
1993	849	34	14	8	1	n/a	n/a	906
1994	861	39	18	12	1	n/a	n/a	931
1995	893	44	15	7	2	n/a	n/a	961
1996	893	44	15	7	2	n/a	n/a	961
1997	950	36	16	17	2	n/a	n/a	1021
1998	992	34	7	18	1	n/a	n/a	1052
1999	984	24	8	11	3	n/a	n/a	1030
2000	944	29	16	10	0	n/a	n/a	999
2001	1005	34	16	12	0	n/a	n/a	1067
2002	983	28	19	8	0	n/a	n/a	1038
2003	983	28	19	8	0	n/a	n/a	1038
2004	1042	32	27	11	1	n/a	n/a	1113
2005	1053	35	29	16	1	n/a	n/a	1134
2006	1012	27	33	17	2	n/a	n/a	1091
2007	1033	30	27	17	2	n/a	n/a	1109
2008	1002	28	33	18	3	n/a	n/a	1084
2009	964	29	32	22	5	n/a	n/a	1052
2010	986	28	31	21	0	1	5	1072
2011	1005	39	40	24	1	1	9	1119
2012	976	41	39	25	2	0	17	1100
2013	995	31	39	36	2	1	25	1129
2014	939	22	34	40	2	0	35	1072
2015	937	16	36	44	2	0	42	1077
2016	956	13	41	52	2	0	44	1108
2017	936	9	43	55	2	0	42	1087
2018	938	6	44	58	1	0	49	1096
2019	958	6	40	63	0	0	60	1127
2020	957	10	36	50	0	0	73	1126
2021	902	11	38	47	0	0	80	1078
2022	862	11	43	49	1	0	83	1049
2023	843	12	47	50	1	0	79	1032

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Portsmouth High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	1235	103.0	11.9	6.9
1991	1024	81.0	12.6	7.6
1992	919	79.6	11.5	9.6
1993	906	70.8	12.8	10.6
1994	931	78.2	11.9	13.6
1995	961	80.2	12.0	12.5
1996	961	80.2	12.0	12.5
1997	1021	98.0	10.4	13.9
1998	1052	77.9	13.5	13
1999	1030	81.5	12.6	12.6
2000	999	87.0	11.5	15.4
2001	1067	87.1	12.3	12.6
2002	1038	93.8	11.1	16.2
2003	1038	93.8	11.1	16.2
2004	1113	88.6	12.6	13.4
2005	1134	92.9	12.2	14.2
2006	1091	91.5	11.9	12.9
2007	1109	91.6	12.1	14.1
2008	1084	94.8	11.4	13.6
2009	1052	94.9	11.1	16.1
2010	1072	94.6	11.3	17.7
2011	1119	87.7	12.7	18.7
2012	1100	84.3	13.0	21.4
2013	1129	87.8	12.8	20
2014	1072	83.0	12.9	21.4
2015	1077	86.0	12.5	20
2016	1108	87.0	12.7	15.3
2017	1087	87.9	12.3	11.1
2018	1096	89.4	12.2	10.5
2019	1127	86.9	12.9	12.8
2020	1126	85.5	13.1	11.8
2021	1078	88.9	12.1	7.5
2022	1049	90.0	11.6	6.5
2023	1032	88.0	11.7	10.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Portsmouth High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	1235	103.0	11.9	6.9
1991	1024	81.0	12.6	7.6
1992	919	79.6	11.5	9.6
1993	906	70.8	12.8	10.6
1994	931	78.2	11.9	13.6
1995	961	80.2	12.0	12.5
1996	961	80.2	12.0	12.5
1997	1021	98.0	10.4	13.9
1998	1052	77.9	13.5	13
1999	1030	81.5	12.6	12.6
2000	999	87.0	11.5	15.4
2001	1067	87.1	12.3	12.6
2002	1038	93.8	11.1	16.2
2003	1038	93.8	11.1	16.2
2004	1113	88.6	12.6	13.4
2005	1134	92.9	12.2	14.2
2006	1091	91.5	11.9	12.9
2007	1109	91.6	12.1	14.1
2008	1084	94.8	11.4	13.6
2009	1052	94.9	11.1	16.1
2010	1072	94.6	11.3	17.7
2011	1119	87.7	12.7	18.7
2012	1100	84.3	13.0	21.4
2013	1129	87.8	12.8	20
2014	1072	83.0	12.9	21.4
2015	1077	86.0	12.5	20
2016	1108	87.0	12.7	15.3
2017	1087	87.9	12.3	11.1
2018	1096	89.4	12.2	10.5
2019	1127	86.9	12.9	12.8
2020	1126	85.5	13.1	11.8
2021	1078	88.9	12.1	7.5
2022	1049	90.0	11.6	6.5
2023	1032	88.0	11.7	10.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Portsmouth High School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$19,004

Data source: New Hampshire Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Portsmouth High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade Science (Portsmouth High School)	42	53	11%
11th Grade Science (Portsmouth School District)	42	52	10%
11th Grade Science (New Hampshire)	41	41
11th Grade Mathematics (Portsmouth High School)	53	54	1%
11th Grade Mathematics (Portsmouth School District)	53	54	1%
11th Grade Mathematics (New Hampshire)	42	35	7%
11th Grade Reading (Portsmouth High School)	71	77	6%
11th Grade Reading (Portsmouth School District)	72	77	5%
11th Grade Reading (New Hampshire)	63	59	4%
All Grades Mathematics (Portsmouth High School)	53	54	1%
All Grades Mathematics (Portsmouth School District)	69	64	5%
All Grades Mathematics (New Hampshire)	48	42	6%
All Grades Reading (Portsmouth High School)	71	77	6%
All Grades Reading (Portsmouth School District)	75	76	1%
All Grades Reading (New Hampshire)	56	52	4%
All Grades Science (Portsmouth High School)	42	53	11%
All Grades Science (Portsmouth School District)	53	55	2%
All Grades Science (New Hampshire)	40	37	3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	1127	1032	8.4%
African American	6	12	100%
American Indian	0	1
Asian	40	47	17.5%
Hispanic	63	50	20.6%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	958	843	12%
Two or More Races	60	79	31.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	12.8%	10.9%	1.9%

Schools Near Portsmouth High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				SAT Mathematics (2024)	SAT Reading (2024)	NH SAS Mathematics (2024)	NH SAS Reading (2024)	NH SAS Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	SAT Reading 11th Grade	NH SAS Mathematics All Grades	NH SAS Reading All Grades	NH SAS Science 11th Grade	NH SAS Science All Grades	Total
Portsmouth High School	Public	9-12	50 Andrew Jarvis Dr.	Portsmouth	03801	Rockingham County	Portsmouth School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 436-7100	1,032	88	11.7	10.9%	843 (81.7%)	12 (1.2%)	50 (4.8%)	47 (4.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	79 (7.7%)	92.1	4^th of 87 public high schools	95.4%		86.2	12^th of 85 public high schools	85.9%	8	59.0	79.0	59.0	79.0	60.0	60.0	$19,004
Newmarket Junior-Senior High School	Public	9-12	213 S. Main St.	Newmarket	03857	Rockingham County	Newmarket School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 659-3271	270	28	9.6	16.3%	215 (79.6%)	2 (0.7%)	17 (6.3%)	14 (5.2%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	20 (7.4%)	65.4	25^th of 87 public high schools	71.3%		68.4	23^rd of 85 public high schools	72.9%	2	27.0	65.0	27.0	65.0	60.0	60.0	$17,720
Winnacunnet High School	Public	9-12	1 Alumni Dr.	Hampton	03842	Rockingham County	Winnacunnet Cooperative School District	No	No	No	Yes	(603) 926-3395	1,063	99	10.7	16.7%	1,015 (95.5%)	6 (0.6%)	29 (2.7%)	10 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	62.9	27^th of 87 public high schools	69.0%		70.5	22^nd of 85 public high schools	74.1%	5	36.0	65.0	36.0	65.0	44.0	44.0	$22,412
Coastal Waters Chartered Public School (H)	Public, Charter	9-12	2 Holland Way	Exeter	03833	Rockingham County	Coastal Waters Chartered Public School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(603) 316-6951	19	6	3.4	15.8%	18 (94.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Oyster River High School	Public	9-12	55 Coe Dr.	Durham	03824	Strafford County	Oyster River Coop School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 868-2375	844	67	12.5	7.7%	730 (86.5%)	5 (0.6%)	16 (1.9%)	49 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	43 (5.1%)	91.9	5^th of 87 public high schools	94.3%		87.9	9^th of 85 public high schools	89.4%	4	53.0	80.0	53.0	80.0	62.0	62.0	$19,567
Dover Senior High School	Public	9-12	25 Alumni Dr.	Dover	03820	Strafford County	Dover School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 516-6900	1,505	105	14.2	23.9%	1,249 (83.0%)	29 (1.9%)	49 (3.3%)	94 (6.2%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	79 (5.2%)	62.1	29^th of 87 public high schools	66.7%		45.2	39^th of 85 public high schools	54.1%	10	36.0	61.0	36.0	61.0	48.0	48.0	$14,825
Virtual Learning Academy (H)	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	30 Linden St.	Exeter	03833	Rockingham County	Virtual Learning Academy Charter School	Yes	No	Yes	No	(603) 778-2500	442	114	3.8	7.0%	382 (86.4%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (5.7%)	13 (2.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.3%)	91	6^th of 87 public high schools	93.1%		95	3^rd of 85 public high schools	96.5%	3	42.0	84.0	42.0	84.0	81.0	81.0
Great Bay Charter School (H)	Public, Charter	9-12	30 Linden St.	Exeter	03833	Rockingham County	Great Bay Charter School	Yes	No	No	No	(603) 519-9003	103	9	11.3	25.2%	90 (87.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.8%)	17	77^th of 87 public high schools	11.5%		13.7	73^rd of 85 public high schools	14.1%	4	0.0	42.0	0.0	42.0	35.0	35.0
Exeter High School	Public	9-12	1 Blue Hawk Dr.	Exeter	03833	Rockingham County	Exeter Region Cooperative School District	No	No	No	Yes	(603) 775-8400	1,447	104	13.9	6.2%	1,345 (93.0%)	20 (1.4%)	2 (0.1%)	66 (4.6%)	7 (0.5%)	6 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	79.1	15^th of 87 public high schools	82.8%		86.2	13^th of 85 public high schools	84.7%	2	43.0	79.0	43.0	79.0	47.0	47.0	$19,185
Somersworth High School	Public	9-12	11 Memorial Dr.	Somersworth	03878	Strafford County	Somersworth School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 692-2431	394	34	11.4	30.5%	297 (75.4%)	12 (3.0%)	15 (3.8%)	35 (8.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (8.4%)	25.9	67^th of 87 public high schools	23.0%		17.7	70^th of 85 public high schools	17.6%	3	12.0	52.0	12.0	52.0	34.0	34.0	$20,583

Portsmouth High School

Portsmouth High School:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Portsmouth School District:

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Rank History for Portsmouth High School

Rank History for all students at Portsmouth High School

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Portsmouth High School

Rank History for Special Education students at Portsmouth High School

Rank History for Female students at Portsmouth High School

Rank History for Male students at Portsmouth High School

Rank History for Asian students at Portsmouth High School

Rank History for Hispanic students at Portsmouth High School

Rank History for White students at Portsmouth High School

Enrollment information for Portsmouth High School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Portsmouth High School

Student/Teacher Ratio Portsmouth High School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Portsmouth High School

Impact of COVID-19 on Portsmouth High School

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Portsmouth High School

Frequently Asked Questions about Portsmouth High School

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