The White Mountain State compares very favorably with the rest of the nation in education; New Hampshire ranks second overall in the country in Pre-K-12 education, and first in NAEP reading scores according to U.S. News & World Report’s latest survey.

New Hampshire’s best school district is Bedford School District, comprising six schools in Bedford, NH with a total enrollment of about 4,500 students. Bedford High School’s students continually meet a high standard of excellence, achieving a graduation rate of 97.4%, which is nine percentage points higher than the state average.

The second ranked school district in New Hampshire is SAU 70, which is an administrative unit comprising three separate districts in Hanover, Norwich, and Dresden. Serving students in Vermont, as well as New Hampshire, SAU 70 is the first interstate school district in the nation.

Hollis Brookline Cooperative School District SAU 41, serving Hollis and Brookline, NH, ranks third. The district is one of the highest testing in the state, with 81% of students achieving proficiency in reading.

Fourth on the list is Oyster River Cooperative School District, based in Durham, NH and serving students from three different towns. Established in 194, Oyster RIver Cooperative School District is the oldest district of its type in the state.

Another cooperative district, SAU 67, fills out the top five. The district of four schools has a great reputation for exceeding statewide educational standards.

Methodology

The following contributed to the ranking: student performance (math and reading test scores), dropout rates, school funding, and area poverty rates. Data was collected from a total of 9,577 school districts.

Did your district make the list?