Pinkerton Academy School District

Pinkerton Academy School District has one school, Pinkerton Academy, a large public high school serving grades 9–12 in Derry, New Hampshire. The school enrolls about 2,990 students, so families will not find other elementary, middle, alternative, or high schools in this district for comparison. With a reported student-teacher ratio of 13.8 to 1, the school may offer a broad range of courses, activities, and specialized programs, although its size can also make personalized support especially important.

The school’s strongest outcomes are graduation, student retention, and reading. Pinkerton reported a 90.4% graduation rate in 2024–2025, higher than New Hampshire’s 87.0% average, while its 1.7% dropout rate was below the state’s 2.3%. Reading was also a clear academic strength: 64% of students were proficient on the 2025–2026 NH SAS reading assessment, compared with 55% statewide. On the 11th-grade SAT reading assessment, Pinkerton’s 64% proficiency rate was slightly above the state’s 62%. The school’s statewide ranking also improved from the 43rd percentile in 2023–2024 to the 54th percentile in 2025–2026, and its rating rose from two stars to three.

Math and science are the most important areas for improvement. On the 2025–2026 NH SAS, 29% of students were proficient in math compared with 44% statewide, while science proficiency was 27% compared with 38% statewide. Science was especially concerning because 11th-grade proficiency was 27%, versus 40% statewide, and the school’s overall science result declined from 31% the previous year. Math performance on the 11th-grade SAT was much closer to the state average, at 29% compared with 30%, so families may want to review results by course and grade. Overall, the school appears effective at helping students graduate, with solid reading performance, but its academic improvement efforts should focus on strengthening mathematics and science.