Inter-Lakes Middle School

Inter-Lakes Middle School is a small public school in Meredith, NH, serving 137 students in grades 7–8 as part of the Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region. The school has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 8.3 to 1 and a history of solid performance, but its latest results show a significant decline. It ranks 91st out of 138 New Hampshire middle schools, placing it around the 34th percentile statewide, compared with rankings near the 66th–68th percentile during the previous three years.

Current academic results are below state averages in all three tested subjects: 41% of students are proficient in math, 43% in reading, and 27% in science. Reading is the clearest long-term concern, falling from 69% proficiency in 2022–2023 to 43% currently. Eighth-grade reading is especially weak at 34%, compared with 53% in seventh grade. Science is the lowest-performing subject and dropped 19 points from the prior year. Math is more stable and close to the state average, with nearly identical results in seventh and eighth grade. Because the school is small, results can shift noticeably from year to year, although the continuing reading decline suggests a broader issue than normal statistical variation.

Inter-Lakes currently trails several nearby schools, though comparisons should account for differences in grade levels and enrollment. The more directly comparable Kingswood Regional Middle School, which also serves grades 7–8, has similar math results but stronger reading and science performance. Newfound Memorial Middle School, Moultonborough Middle Level, Gilford Middle School, and Belmont Middle School also report stronger overall results. Key priorities appear to be reversing the reading decline, improving science instruction, examining the eighth-grade transition to high school, and determining how the school’s strong staffing level can better support student achievement.