Best Public Schools in Salem, NH

Summary:

The city of Salem, New Hampshire is home to a diverse set of 10 schools, including 7 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 2 high schools. The schools in this area serve students from pre-K through 12th grade, providing a comprehensive educational experience for the local community.

Among the standout schools in Salem are North Salem Elementary School, which consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in the state with its strong performance across math, reading, and science. The Birches Academy of Academics - Art A Public Charter School and the Arts Academy of New Hampshire Chartered Public High School also stand out as high-performing charter schools in the area. While the Salem High School and Woodbury School (the district's middle school) have solid performance, there is some variation in the elementary schools, with a few lagging behind the top performers.

Overall, the Salem School District is rated 3 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger, performing around the state average. The strong results of the charter schools, The Birches Academy of Academics & Art A Public Charter Sch and Arts Academy of New Hampshire Chartered Public High School, are particularly noteworthy, suggesting that there are high-quality educational options available in the area.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SAT Mathematics (2025)	SAT Reading (2025)	NH SAS Mathematics (2025)							NH SAS Reading (2025)							NH SAS Science (2025)				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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	SAT Reading 11th Grade	NH SAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	NH SAS Mathematics 4th Grade	NH SAS Mathematics 5th Grade	NH SAS Mathematics 6th Grade	NH SAS Mathematics 7th Grade	NH SAS Mathematics 8th Grade	NH SAS Mathematics All Grades	NH SAS Reading 3rd Grade	NH SAS Reading 4th Grade	NH SAS Reading 5th Grade	NH SAS Reading 6th Grade	NH SAS Reading 7th Grade	NH SAS Reading 8th Grade	NH SAS Reading All Grades	NH SAS Science 5th Grade	NH SAS Science 8th Grade	NH SAS Science 11th Grade	NH SAS Science All Grades	Total
The Birches Academy of Academics - Art A Public Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	419 South Broadway 2nd Floor	Salem	03079	Rockingham County	The Birches Academy of Academics & Art A Public Charter Sch	Yes	No	No	Yes	(603) 458-6399	286	22	13.1	8.0%	231 (80.8%)	4 (1.4%)	17 (5.9%)	19 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.2%)	67	63^rd of 224 public elementary schools	71.9%		74.3	47^th of 234 public elementary schools	79.9%	16			63.0	73.0	48.0	39.0	33.0	19.0	46.0	60.0	69.0	68.0	55.0	63.0	48.0	60.0	40.0	33.0		37.0
Arts Academy of New Hampshire Chartered Public High School	Public, Charter	9-12	19 Keewaydin Drive	Salem	03079	Rockingham County	Arts Academy of New Hampshire Chartered Public High School	Yes	No	No	No	(603) 912-4944	106	11	9.6	10.4%	97 (91.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.8%)	54.9	31^st of 86 public high schools	64.0%		77.9	17^th of 87 public high schools	80.5%	14	11.0	83.0							11.0							83.0			44.0	44.0
William T. Barron Elementary School	Public	K-5	55 Butler St.	Salem	03079	Rockingham County	Salem School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 893-7067	377	27	13.9	13.3%	307 (81.4%)	1 (0.3%)	44 (11.7%)	8 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.2%)	64.3	71^st of 224 public elementary schools	68.3%		71.2	55^th of 234 public elementary schools	76.5%	16			66.0	58.0	58.0				61.0	48.0	58.0	62.0				56.0	42.0			42.0	$15,629
Dr. L. F. Soule School	Public	K-5	173 South Policy St.	Salem	03079	Rockingham County	Salem School District	No	No	No	Yes	(603) 893-7053	270	23	11.5	23.3%	193 (71.5%)	1 (0.4%)	43 (15.9%)	8 (3.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (8.9%)	49.4	118^th of 224 public elementary schools	47.3%		46.2	132^nd of 234 public elementary schools	43.6%	14			60.0	49.0	55.0				55.0	58.0	49.0	45.0				51.0	29.0			29.0	$19,874
William E. Lancaster School	Public	K-5	54 Millville St.	Salem	03079	Rockingham County	Salem School District	No	No	No	Yes	(603) 893-7059	294	23	12.8	20.4%	229 (77.9%)	7 (2.4%)	33 (11.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (7.5%)	57.2	94^th of 224 public elementary schools	58.0%		61.1	81^st of 234 public elementary schools	65.4%	13			68.0	58.0	52.0				59.0	61.0	42.0	51.0				51.0	39.0			39.0	$18,870
Mary A. Fisk Elementary School	Public	K-5	14 Main St.	Salem	03079	Rockingham County	Salem School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 893-7051	272	23	11.6	19.1%	192 (70.6%)	10 (3.7%)	38 (14.0%)	13 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.0%)	52.2	107^th of 224 public elementary schools	52.2%		46.6	131^st of 234 public elementary schools	44.0%	24			40.0	46.0	50.0				46.0	30.0	56.0	76.0				55.0	48.0			48.0	$18,217
North Salem Elementary School	Public	K-5	140 Zion Hill Rd.	Salem	03079	Rockingham County	Salem School District	No	No	No	Yes	(603) 893-7062	353	25	14.0	9.1%	309 (87.5%)	3 (0.8%)	22 (6.2%)	6 (1.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.4%)	77.4	35^th of 224 public elementary schools	84.4%		67.4	68^th of 234 public elementary schools	70.9%	33			75.0	79.0	55.0				69.0	65.0	74.0	67.0				68.0	36.0			36.0	$16,501
Salem High School	Public	9-12	44 Geremonty Dr.	Salem	03079	Rockingham County	Salem School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 893-7069	1,116	99	11.2	14.9%	868 (77.8%)	15 (1.3%)	125 (11.2%)	47 (4.2%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	57 (5.1%)	50.3	38^th of 86 public high schools	55.8%		50.9	37^th of 87 public high schools	57.5%	1	27.0	63.0							27.0							63.0			43.0	43.0	$19,135
Woodbury School	Public	6-8	206 Main St.	Salem	03079	Rockingham County	Salem School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 893-7055	762	61	12.5	18.1%	587 (77.0%)	10 (1.3%)	98 (12.9%)	19 (2.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (6.2%)	47.2	69^th of 132 public middle schools	47.7%		50.9	58^th of 130 public middle schools	55.4%	11						38.0	38.0	29.0	35.0				49.0	57.0	56.0	54.0		46.0		46.0	$15,435

Cities Near Salem

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Windham	2.23 mi	5	32^nd
Atkinson	5.07 mi	1	70^th
Hampstead	6.23 mi	2	60^th
Plaistow	6.32 mi	3	122^nd
Pelham	6.96 mi	3	105^th

See the top NH New Hampshire cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the New Hampshire Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.