Best Cities in New Hampshire for Schools

Welcome to SchoolDigger, your premier source for city-wide school rankings! Our user-friendly platform focuses on test scores, presenting a transparent, data-driven comparison to help you navigate the educational scene. Explore top-rated cities in New Hampshire and make informed decisions for your child's academic future. With our comprehensive database, uncover the best-performing schools within each city, evaluate their performance, and gain valuable insights. Trust SchoolDigger.com to guide you in finding the perfect city for your child's education. Embark on your journey to academic success right here!

Year after year, SchoolDigger is always the first to publish New Hampshire test scores and rankings. Other sites use stale test score data that are several years old! Be in the know with the very latest performance metrics.

The list is updated annually upon the release of the test scores by the New Hampshire Department of Education. The most recent update was on Saturday, September 6, 2025.

Be the first to know when we post new test scores and rankings!

Rank (of 165)	City	# Elementary Schools	# Middle Schools	# High Schools	# Private Schools*	Rank score (2025)	Rank (2024)	Rank change from 2024
1^st	Grantham	1	0	0	0	0.996	3	2
2^nd	Hanover	1	1	1	1	0.975	1	1
3^rd	Lyme	1	0	0	1	0.969	9	6
4^th	Mason	2	0	0	0	0.964	6	2
5^th	Mont Vernon	1	0	0	0	0.96	7	2
6^th	Bedford	3	2	1	5	0.956	10	4
7^th	Portsmouth	4	1	1	1	0.949	11	4
8^th	Enfield	1	0	0	0	0.946	19	11
9^th	Durham	1	1	1	0	0.941	8	1
10^th	Brentwood	1	0	0	1	0.933	15	5
11^th	North Hampton	1	0	0	1	0.929	24	13
12^th	Lee	1	0	0	0	0.929	12
13^th	Rye	1	1	0	3	0.926	5	8
14^th	Franconia	1	0	0	0	0.924	2	12
15^th	Madbury	1	0	0	0	0.92	17	2
16^th	South Hampton	1	0	0	1	0.915	4	12
17^th	Holderness	1	0	0	1	0.902	35	18
18^th	Hollis	1	2	1	1	0.894	14	4
19^th	West Lebanon	1	0	0	0	0.893	45	26
20^th	Amherst	1	1	1	2	0.888	36	16
21^st	Hampton Falls	1	0	0	1	0.866	16	5
22^nd	East Kingston	1	0	0	0	0.862	34	12
23^rd	North Walpole	1	0	0	0	0.857	32	9
24^th	Auburn	1	0	0	1	0.853	46	22
25^th	Contoocook	0	2	1	1	0.851	25
26^th	Sunapee	1	1	1	1	0.851	43	17
27^th	Greenland	1	0	0	0	0.841	13	14
28^th	Stratham	1	1	0	2	0.835	40	12
29^th	Nottingham	1	0	0	0	0.834	31	2
30^th	Bow	2	1	1	1	0.832	28	2
31^st	Kensington	1	0	0	0	0.83	38	7
32^nd	Windham	2	2	1	1	0.825	21	11
33^rd	Center Sandwich	1	0	0	0	0.817	39	6
34^th	New Boston	1	0	0	2	0.804	20	14
35^th	Hampton	2	1	1	1	0.803	37	2
36^th	Chichester	1	0	0	0	0.796	61	25
37^th	Dunbarton	1	0	0	0	0.795	85	48
38^th	Sanbornton	1	0	0	2	0.781	73	35
39^th	Bethlehem	1	1	1	4	0.781	23	16
40^th	Newmarket	1	1	1	0	0.777	58	18
41^st	Chester	1	0	0	2	0.766	110	69
42^nd	Warner	1	0	0	0	0.759	67	25
43^rd	Meriden	1	0	0	1	0.757	47	4
44^th	Hooksett	2	1	0	2	0.756	29	15
45^th	Newfields	1	0	0	0	0.75	18	27
46^th	Thornton	1	0	0	0	0.747	33	13
47^th	Campton	1	0	0	0	0.733	70	23
48^th	Salisbury	1	0	0	0	0.728	59	11
49^th	Gilmanton Iw	1	0	0	0	0.717	51	2
50^th	Deerfield	1	0	0	1	0.714	56	6
51^st	New London	2	0	0	0	0.71	27	24
52^nd	Westmoreland	1	0	0	0	0.698	111	59
53^rd	Newton	1	0	0	1	0.692	96	43
54^th	Boscawen	1	0	0	0	0.688	87	33
55^th	Plymouth	2	0	1	3	0.682	66	11
56^th	Walpole	1	1	0	0	0.682	48	8
57^th	Londonderry	4	1	1	6	0.672	83	26
58^th	Gilford	1	1	1	0	0.659	69	11
59^th	Brookline	1	1	0	0	0.652	30	29
60^th	Hampstead	1	1	0	1	0.648	53	7
61^st	Northwood	1	0	1	0	0.645	49	12
62^nd	Exeter	4	1	4	6	0.645	50	12
63^rd	Candia	1	0	0	1	0.644	86	23
64^th	New Hampton	1	0	0	2	0.643	57	7
65^th	Moultonborough	1	1	1	0	0.641	62	3
66^th	Danville	1	0	0	0	0.634	54	12
67^th	Fremont	1	0	0	0	0.615	77	10
68^th	North Sutton	0	1	1	0	0.613	88	20
69^th	Goffstown	2	1	1	4	0.596	63	6
70^th	Atkinson	1	0	0	0	0.594	52	18
71^st	Lebanon	1	1	2	1	0.588	44	27
72^nd	Salem	8	1	2	4	0.586	65	7
73^rd	Meredith	1	1	1	0	0.581	79	6
74^th	Bradford	3	0	0	0	0.58	68	6
75^th	Wolfeboro	1	2	1	1	0.577	72	3
76^th	Center Tuftonboro	1	0	0	0	0.558	89	13
77^th	Chesterfield	1	0	0	0	0.552	60	17
78^th	Hudson	5	1	1	5	0.546	94	16
79^th	Langdon	2	0	1	0	0.535	117	38
80^th	Monroe	1	0	0	0	0.531	114	34
81^st	Alstead	1	1	1	0	0.523	41	40
82^nd	Concord	5	2	2	12	0.522	112	30
83^rd	Sandown	2	0	0	1	0.518	100	17
84^th	New Durham	1	0	0	0	0.504	42	42
85^th	Keene	6	1	3	8	0.503	101	16
86^th	Barrington	2	1	0	0	0.496	84	2
87^th	Nashua	16	4	4	15	0.482	103	16
88^th	Epping	1	1	1	1	0.478	115	27
89^th	Lisbon	1	1	1	0	0.477	113	24
90^th	Peterborough	2	1	1	1	0.476	82	8
91^st	Dover	4	1	1	6	0.475	90	1
92^nd	Belmont	1	1	1	0	0.473	76	16
93^rd	Lancaster	1	1	1	3	0.471	139	46
94^th	Merrimack	4	2	1	6	0.466	78	16
95^th	Raymond	2	1	1	0	0.464	91	4
96^th	Litchfield	1	1	1	1	0.463	74	22
97^th	Woodsville	1	0	1	0	0.453	121	24
98^th	Gorham	1	1	1	0	0.453	104	6
99^th	Canaan	1	1	1	1	0.447	108	9
100^th	Andover	1	0	0	1	0.443	122	22
101^st	Lincoln	1	1	1	0	0.443	102	1
102^nd	Strafford	1	0	0	0	0.433	92	10
103^rd	Farmington	1	1	1	0	0.423	120	17
104^th	Pembroke	2	1	1	1	0.421	116	12
105^th	Pelham	1	1	1	5	0.42	118	13
106^th	Penacook	1	1	2	0	0.419	132	26
107^th	New Ipswich	1	1	1	0	0.419	107
108^th	Epsom	1	0	0	0	0.416	136	28
109^th	Lempster	2	0	0	0	0.412	98	11
110^th	Derry	6	2	2	8	0.405	130	20
111^th	Cornish	1	0	0	0	0.396	55	56
112^th	Kingston	1	1	1	0	0.381	129	17
113^th	Webster	1	0	0	0	0.379	97	16
114^th	Ashland	1	0	0	0	0.379	81	33
115^th	Henniker	1	0	0	0	0.377	144	29
116^th	Antrim	1	1	0	1	0.375	93	23
117^th	Alton	1	0	1	0	0.375	133	16
118^th	Bristol	1	1	1	0	0.369	64	54
119^th	Colebrook	1	0	1	0	0.369	127	8
120^th	Hillsborough	1	1	1	2	0.364	123	3
121^st	Milan	1	0	0	0	0.353	149	28
122^nd	Plaistow	1	1	1	1	0.351	109	13
123^rd	Seabrook	1	1	0	0	0.336	137	14
124^th	Rollinsford	1	0	0	0	0.335	75	49
125^th	Weare	1	1	1	1	0.327	154	29
126^th	Rindge	1	0	0	2	0.321	105	21
127^th	Milford	3	1	1	0	0.317	99	28
128^th	North Conway	1	0	1	0	0.314	165	37
129^th	Madison	1	0	0	0	0.313	124	5
130^th	Loudon	1	1	1	0	0.299	145	15
131^st	Wilton	1	1	1	3	0.299	95	36
132^nd	Laconia	3	1	1	3	0.297	134	2
133^rd	Littleton	1	2	2	0	0.295	128	5
134^th	Bartlett	1	0	0	0	0.284	131	3
135^th	Middleton	1	0	0	0	0.277	156	21
136^th	Charlestown	2	1	0	0	0.27	146	10
137^th	Effingham	1	0	0	0	0.259	106	31
138^th	Groveton	1	1	1	0	0.255	151	13
139^th	Tilton	1	1	1	1	0.254	150	11
140^th	Rochester	7	1	2	5	0.241	148	8
141^st	Swanzey	2	1	1	0	0.235	163	22
142^nd	Jaffrey	1	1	1	1	0.226	147	5
143^rd	Milton	1	1	1	1	0.221	142	1
144^th	Whitefield	1	0	1	0	0.218	153	9
145^th	Center Ossipee	1	0	0	0	0.21	143	2
146^th	Conway	3	1	1	0	0.2	135	11
147^th	Manchester	16	6	7	27	0.195	157	10
148^th	Pittsfield	1	1	1	0	0.192	152	4
149^th	Troy	1	0	0	0	0.183	167	18
150^th	Tamworth	1	0	0	0	0.177	164	14
151^st	Claremont	4	1	2	2	0.159	169	18
152^nd	Danbury	1	0	0	0	0.156		(n/a)
153^rd	Somersworth	2	1	1	2	0.155	161	8
154^th	FitzWilliam	1	0	0	0	0.152	138	16
155^th	Hinsdale	1	1	1	0	0.134	159	4
156^th	Freedom	1	0	0	0	0.125		(n/a)
157^th	Marlborough	1	0	0	0	0.117	125	32
158^th	Berlin	1	1	1	3	0.114	166	8
159^th	Northfield	2	0	1	1	0.1	168	9
160^th	Sanbornville	1	0	0	0	0.1	171	11
161^st	Center Barnstead	1	0	0	0	0.089	160	1
162^nd	North Haverhill	0	1	0	0	0.071	155	7
163^rd	Winchester	1	0	0	1	0.06	172	9
164^th	Newport	2	2	2	3	0.04	173	9
165^th	Franklin	1	1	1	0	0.039	170	5

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About our rankings:

* Private schools are not used in determining city rank.
Schooldigger calculates school rankings based on test scores released by the New Hampshire Department of Education.
These rankings were last updated on September 6, 2025, and are based on the most recent test scores available. We update rankings as we receive new test scores from the New Hampshire Department of Education, usually on a yearly basis.
Our sources of data include the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education and the New Hampshire Department of Education.
For more information about our ranking process, please see our Ranking FAQ. Details about our methodology are here.

Educational resources:

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Understanding an IEP: The Ultimate Guide for Parents and Educators

State-Administered Standardized Tests: A Comprehensive Guide

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.