Best Middle Schools in Manchester, NH

Manchester, New Hampshire has six middle schools serving grades 5–8, except Kreiva Academy Public Charter School, which serves grades 6–8; the schools enroll 3,824 students and include four schools in the Manchester School District and two public charter schools.

The Founders Academy Charter School is the clear academic leader in this group, with 24% of students proficient in math, 42% in reading, and 21% in science. It also has the highest grade-level results in nearly every comparison, although its statewide ranking remains in the lower part of the distribution. Among traditional district schools, Southside Middle School performs best overall, leading its peers in math and reading and ranking highest among the four district schools. Henry J. McLaughlin Junior Middle School has lower current proficiency but showed the strongest recent science improvement. Hillside Middle School is the largest school, while Middle School At Parkside has the lowest ranking among schools with published rankings.

Overall, the four traditional schools serve a district ranked near the bottom statewide, and their proficiency rates are well below New Hampshire averages. Reading is the most encouraging recent trend: every school with comparable data improved from the prior year. Mathematics improved modestly, while science results were more inconsistent. Kreiva Academy Public Charter School is a very small school with 42 students and the lowest student-teacher ratio, but its limited assessment data and small enrollment make direct comparisons less reliable. Family circumstances also differ among schools, so test scores should be considered alongside school size, student needs, instructional supports, and school climate.