Best Public Schools in Berlin, NH

Berlin, New Hampshire, has three public schools serving about 969 students from prekindergarten through 12th grade: Berlin Elementary School, Berlin Middle School, and Berlin Senior High School, all part of the Berlin School District. The district ranks near the bottom statewide, so families should view the school-level results in that broader context. The elementary school serves the largest student population, followed by the high school and middle school.

Berlin Elementary School is the strongest overall performer relative to the other local schools and to district averages. Its 2025–2026 proficiency rates were 32% in mathematics, 40% in reading, and 24% in science, exceeding district results in all three subjects. Fifth-grade reading was a standout, with 59% of students proficient—about equal to the state average. However, third-grade math and reading and elementary science remain important areas for improvement. Berlin Middle School is more stable but has lower achievement, with 20% proficiency in math, 30% in reading, and 17% in science. Its strongest result is sixth-grade reading, while seventh-grade math is particularly weak.

Berlin Senior High School presents the greatest concern. Reading is a relative strength at 39% proficiency, but mathematics is only 11% and science 14%; all three subjects declined from the prior year. The school also reports a 78.3% graduation rate and a 5.0% dropout rate, compared with 87.0% and 2.3% statewide. Across the schools, reading is consistently stronger than math and science. Reported student-teacher ratios are low, especially at the high school, but the results show that ratios alone do not guarantee higher achievement. Families may want to focus particularly on math support, middle-school intervention, graduation planning, and the high school’s reading-to-math performance gap.