Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Gate City Charter School for the Arts

Public, Charter Grades K-8

211^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 224 New Hampshire Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of New Hampshire elementary schools

Summary

Gate City Charter School for the Arts is a public charter elementary school serving grades K-8 in Merrimack, New Hampshire, with 143 students. The school has faced significant challenges in recent years, consistently underperforming compared to the state and nearby traditional public schools on key academic measures.

According to the data, Gate City Charter School for the Arts has seen a decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from 96th out of 244 New Hampshire elementary schools in 2015-2016 to 211th out of 224 in 2024-2025. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 17% of students were proficient or better in mathematics, and 34% were proficient or better in reading, significantly lower than the state averages of 42% and 55%, respectively. When compared to nearby schools like Thorntons Ferry School, which had a 53% mathematics proficiency rate, Gate City Charter School for the Arts is clearly struggling to keep up academically.

Additionally, the school has a higher percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients compared to the state average, at 39.86% in the 2023-2024 school year. The school also has a relatively high student-teacher ratio, ranging from 13.7 to 15.5 students per teacher in recent years, compared to the nearby schools, which have ratios between 8.6 and 17.5 students per teacher. These factors suggest that the school may be facing challenges in terms of resource allocation and support for its students. Overall, the data indicates that Gate City Charter School for the Arts needs to address these performance and demographic issues to better serve the educational needs of its students.

160

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

30.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7 Henry Clay Dr
Merrimack, NH 03054-4847

(603) 943-5273

District: Gate City Charter School For the Arts

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.9%

Hispanic:

7.5%

Two or more races:

7.5%

See top rated New Hampshire elementary schools

Compare Gate City Charter School for the Arts to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 46th percentile in 2015 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Hampshire average (26% vs 45% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 40 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg26%

New Hampshire avg45%

Elementary school

211^th of 224

New Hampshire public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 40 pts since 2015

From bottom 46% (2015) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Hampshire Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

127^th of 132

New Hampshire public middle schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 47 pts since 2016

From top 49% (2016) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Hampshire Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

154^th of 158Gate City Charter School For the Arts among New Hampshire districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	211 of 224	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.6	212 of 234	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	188 of 237	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.8	158 of 233	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.3	176 of 231	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.2	156 of 231	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	50.8	118 of 229	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	59.7	96 of 244	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	49.7	112 of 206	45.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2019	30.2	152 of 192	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.5	127 of 190	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2025	10.3	213 of 223	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	30.1	175 of 233	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.9	160 of 229	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.9	191 of 229	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.9	169 of 227	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2025	6.7	127 of 132	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	46.3	63 of 130	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.0	64 of 134	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	23.8	105 of 130	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	69.5	35 of 128	72.7%	★★★★☆
2018	65.5	39 of 131	70.2%	★★★★☆
2017	55.0	57 of 125	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	51.6	66 of 134	50.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2019	62.0	36 of 114	68.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2023	59.5	44 of 132	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.2	34 of 126	73.0%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Female (2019)21st percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)4th percentile~ school

Middle school

Female (2019)68th percentile-4 vs school

White (2023)67th percentile+14 vs school

By subject vs New Hampshire (2024-2025) ?

Reading34%-21 vs state

Science28%-10 vs state

Mathematics17%-25 vs state

3.3

7 ratings · 5 written reviews

5★4

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★3

Rate Gate City Charter School for the Arts

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Terrible place what a waste of time . Do your children a favor and do not send them here ! Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Horrible out of control school director husband is board member so nothing will change if the kids speak up abot being bulling they throw out the victims Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, July 20, 2017

We were extremely disappointed in this school!! We have it two years and it wasted our children's time! They left years behind and spent a year catching up. The school lacked consistency, discipline, and academic drive. The students that required special services were not adequately taught and became a distraction to themselves and others. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, February 9, 2017

We are very happy with our first graders progress there. His teachers so far have been great. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Gate City Charter School for the Arts has provided my family the opportunity to attend a school of community, kindness, respect and academic challenges while studying the arts and not losing site of children’s imagination and creativity. We have been traveling 25 minutes (a lot of days longer with traffic) each morning to get to GCCSA for over a year now. I feel it is well worth the travel to come to a school that offers my children the ability to find and excel with their strengths and challenges them to overcome their weaknesses. This school provides an environment that allows teachers to teach to each student’s strengths and moves them academically to keep them engaged as opposed to standard testing and teaching to the lower middle and bottom of the class only. My children are happy to go to school each morning and see what adventure is in store for their classroom. They feel valued by the teachers and staff at GCCSA who are helping to shape them into amazing individuals. Close Quote

Schools Near Gate City Charter School for the Arts

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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	NH SAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	NH SAS Mathematics 4th Grade	NH SAS Mathematics 5th Grade	NH SAS Mathematics 7th 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 All Grades	NH SAS Science 5th Grade	NH SAS Science All Grades	Total
Gate City Charter School for the Arts	Public, Charter	K-8	7 Henry Clay Dr	Merrimack	03054	Hillsborough County	Gate City Charter School For the Arts	Yes	No	No	Yes	(603) 943-5273	160	10	16.0	30.6%	131 (81.9%)	5 (3.1%)	12 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (7.5%)	11.6	211^th of 224 public elementary schools	5.8%		12.6	212^th of 234 public elementary schools	9.4%	1	32.0	13.0	13.0	15.0	17.0	37.0	35.0	31.0	27.0	31.0	34.0	25.0	28.0
Thorntons Ferry School	Public	PK, KG-4	134 Camp Sargent Rd.	Merrimack	03054	Hillsborough County	Merrimack School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 889-1577	504	42	12.1	12.3%	432 (85.7%)	3 (0.6%)	26 (5.2%)	6 (1.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.9%)	49.5	117^th of 224 public elementary schools	47.8%		57.1	97^th of 234 public elementary schools	58.5%	20	48.0	52.0			50.0	43.0	61.0				52.0			$17,791
Charlotte Ave Elementary School	Public	K-5	48 Charlotte Ave.	Nashua	03064	Hillsborough County	Nashua School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 966-1940	362	31	11.6	27.1%	219 (60.5%)	7 (1.9%)	80 (22.1%)	23 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (9.1%)	60.2	87^th of 224 public elementary schools	61.2%		50.8	119^th of 234 public elementary schools	49.1%	32	59.0	64.0	36.0		54.0	68.0	62.0	57.0			63.0	35.0	35.0	$14,479
Hills Garrison Elementary School	Public	2-5	190 Derry Rd.	Hudson	03051	Hillsborough County	Hudson School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 881-3930	354	32	11.0	16.4%	280 (79.1%)	6 (1.7%)	26 (7.3%)	10 (2.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (8.8%)	49.7	115^th of 224 public elementary schools	48.7%		60.6	83^rd of 234 public elementary schools	64.5%	32	55.0	49.0	32.0		48.0	52.0	59.0	58.0			57.0	37.0	37.0	$15,984
Griffin Memorial School	Public	PK, KG-4	229 Chs Bancroft Hwy.	Litchfield	03052	Hillsborough County	Litchfield School District	No	No	No	Yes	(603) 424-5931	428	35	12.0	14.3%	376 (87.9%)	2 (0.5%)	26 (6.1%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.4%)	70.9	50^th of 224 public elementary schools	77.7%		68.6	63^rd of 234 public elementary schools	73.1%	13	68.0	51.0			60.0	75.0	58.0				67.0			$17,512
Amherst Street School	Public	K-5	71 Amherst St.	Nashua	03064	Hillsborough County	Nashua School District	No	No	No	Yes	(603) 966-1700	290	22	13.3	66.6%	107 (36.9%)	14 (4.8%)	130 (44.8%)	6 (2.1%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (10.3%)	9.6	216^th of 224 public elementary schools	3.6%		10.5	222^nd of 234 public elementary schools	5.1%	6	19.0		23.0		15.0	21.0	25.0	40.0			28.0	21.0	21.0	$21,318
Mt. Pleasant School	Public	PK, KG-5	10 Manchester St.	Nashua	03060	Hillsborough County	Nashua School District	No	No	No	Yes	(603) 966-2400	250	25	9.9	68.0%	101 (40.4%)	7 (2.8%)	110 (44.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (12.0%)	6.5	220^th of 224 public elementary schools	1.8%		11.9	216^th of 234 public elementary schools	7.7%	4	19.0	12.0	14.0		15.0	24.0	27.0	37.0			29.0	17.0	17.0	$16,311
Birch Hill Elementary School	Public	K-5	17 Birch Hill Dr.	Nashua	03063	Hillsborough County	Nashua School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 966-1820	332	26	12.7	33.7%	198 (59.6%)	11 (3.3%)	68 (20.5%)	20 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (10.5%)	53.4	104^th of 224 public elementary schools	53.6%		55.2	108^th of 234 public elementary schools	53.8%	4	72.0	49.0	40.0		53.0	54.0	49.0	60.0			55.0	35.0	35.0	$15,368
Ledge Street School	Public	K-5	139 Ledge St.	Nashua	03060	Hillsborough County	Nashua School District	No	No	No	Yes	(603) 966-2120	454	41	10.9	72.9%	139 (30.6%)	13 (2.9%)	243 (53.5%)	11 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (10.6%)	6.6	219^th of 224 public elementary schools	2.2%		8.5	224^th of 234 public elementary schools	4.3%	5	16.0	26.0	21.0		21.0	22.0	30.0	18.0			24.0	13.0	13.0	$15,198
Broad Street Elementary School	Public	K-5	390 Broad St.	Nashua	03063	Hillsborough County	Nashua School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 966-1880	256	21	12.1	27.3%	151 (59.0%)	8 (3.1%)	51 (19.9%)	15 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (12.1%)	51.7	109^th of 224 public elementary schools	51.3%		49.2	122^nd of 234 public elementary schools	47.9%	13	44.0	49.0	57.0		50.0	44.0	52.0	71.0			56.0	34.0	34.0	$21,295

Frequently Asked Questions about Gate City Charter School for the Arts

Is Gate City Charter School for the Arts a good school?

Gate City Charter School for the Arts ranks in the bottom 5.8% of New Hampshire elementary schools.

What district is Gate City Charter School for the Arts in?

Gate City Charter School For the Arts

How many students attend Gate City Charter School for the Arts?

In the 2024-25 school year, 160 students attended Gate City Charter School for the Arts.

What is the racial makeup of Gate City Charter School for the Arts?

Students at Gate City Charter School for the Arts are 82% White, 8% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 3% African American.

Rate Gate City Charter School for the Arts!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NHNew Hampshire Elementary School Rankings

NHNew Hampshire District Rankings

Schools in Merrimack, NH

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Gate City Charter School for the Arts!

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.