Middle Schools in Merrimack School District

The Merrimack School District has two middle-level schools serving grades 5–8 in the Merrimack area: James Mastricola Upper Elementary School serves grades 5–6, while Merrimack Middle School serves grades 7–8. Together, they enroll 1,013 students. Because the schools serve different grade levels, parents should view them as successive stages of the district’s middle-school experience rather than as direct competitors.

James Mastricola Upper Elementary School is the stronger school in reading and mathematics compared with Merrimack Middle School. Its 2025–26 proficiency rates were 62% in reading and 49% in mathematics, exceeding both district and state results in those subjects. Reading was especially strong in fifth grade, at 65%, and remained above the state in sixth grade at 59%. Science is the main area to watch, with 35% proficiency—three points below both the district and state. The school’s results were generally stable from the prior year, with a modest mathematics improvement, a small reading decline, and no change in science.

Merrimack Middle School has the stronger science results, reaching 41% proficiency in 2025–26, three points above the district and state. It also performed well in eighth-grade mathematics, where proficiency was 48%, and exceeded state results in all three tested subjects. Its most important positive trend was a nine-point science gain from the previous year, alongside improvements in mathematics and reading. However, its overall mathematics and reading rates—45% and 57%—were slightly below district averages. The school reports a lower student–teacher ratio than James Mastricola (10.2 versus 13.3), while both schools have three-star ratings and rank around the 61st percentile in their respective comparisons.