Gate City Charter School For the Arts

The Gate City Charter School for the Arts is the only school in the Gate City Charter School For the Arts district, serving about 160 students in kindergarten through Grade 8 in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

For parents, the school offers a small K–8 setting with a 16:1 student-teacher ratio, but its overall academic results remain below New Hampshire averages. In 2025–26, 27% of students were proficient in mathematics compared with 44% statewide, while 39% were proficient in reading compared with 55% statewide. Mathematics is the school’s weaker subject overall, although results improved from the previous year: math proficiency rose 10 percentage points and reading proficiency rose 5 points. The school’s statewide ranking also improved, moving to 202nd out of 230 schools and approximately the 12th percentile, with a one-star rating.

Performance varies substantially by grade, so the schoolwide averages do not tell the whole story. Grade 8 reading is a notable strength, with 56% proficiency—5 points above the state average—and Grade 4 reading was close to the state level at 50%. Grade 3 had the strongest math result at 46%, though it still trailed the state. Grade 5 is the clearest concern: no tested students were reported proficient in math and only 13% were proficient in reading, compared with state averages of 43% and 58%. Grade 6 math was also weak at 20%. Because the school is small, parents should consider tested-student counts, attendance, student growth, and subgroup results when interpreting unusually high or low percentages. Overall, the school shows encouraging recent improvement, but families should ask about support in Grades 5 and 6 and how the school is building on its stronger later-grade reading outcomes.