Best Public Schools in Bow, NH

Bow, New Hampshire, has three public schools serving prekindergarten through grade 12 in the Bow School District, a generally high-performing area with 1,688 students and schools ranked above the statewide midpoint.

Bow Elementary School is the district’s strongest overall performer, serving PK–4 students and ranking 20th out of 230 elementary schools, in the 91st percentile. It has a five-star rating, with 75% of students proficient in mathematics and 70% in reading. Its math result is especially notable—31 percentage points above the state average—and performance has remained stable over the past two years. Bow Memorial School, serving grades 5–8, also performs well, ranking in the 83rd percentile. It exceeds state averages in mathematics, reading, and science, with reading its clearest strength at 70% proficiency. Its statewide ranking has improved steadily, although fifth-grade math and recent science results are areas to monitor.

Bow High School, serving grades 9–12, has excellent completion outcomes: a 96.6% graduation rate and a zero-percent dropout rate. However, its academic results are weaker than those of the younger schools. It ranks in the 69th percentile, and mathematics proficiency is 32%, below both the district and state averages. Reading is stronger at 64%, while science is closer to the state average. Scores declined notably in all three subjects in the latest year, so families may want to look closely at high-school math support and the transition from middle-school coursework. Overall, Bow offers strong elementary and middle-school foundations, with its main challenge being to sustain that academic momentum through high school.