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

Thorntons Ferry School

Public Grades PK, KG-4
117th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 224 New Hampshire Elementary Schools
Better than 48% of New Hampshire elementary schools
Summary

Thorntons Ferry School is an elementary school located in Merrimack, New Hampshire, serving grades PK-4 with a total enrollment of 535 students. The school is part of the Merrimack School District, which is ranked 66 out of 158 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Thorntons Ferry School's academic performance on the NH SAS (New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System) has been mixed in recent years, with proficiency rates in both mathematics and reading fluctuating between 40-60% for all grades. Compared to the Merrimack School District and the state of New Hampshire, the school's proficiency rates are generally on par or slightly below the district and state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Thorntons Ferry School's proficiency rate in mathematics for all grades was 50%, compared to 46% for the Merrimack School District and 42% for the state. In reading, the school's proficiency rate was 52%, compared to 60% for the Merrimack School District and 55% for the state.

While Thorntons Ferry School's performance is generally on par with or slightly below the district and state averages, the school could potentially focus on improving its performance in specific areas, such as mathematics and reading, to better align with the higher-performing schools in the region. For instance, James Mastricola Elementary School, which is also in the Merrimack School District, consistently outperforms Thorntons Ferry School on the NH SAS assessments, with proficiency rates that are 10-15 percentage points higher in both mathematics and reading. Similarly, Griffin Memorial School, located in the neighboring Litchfield School District, also outperforms Thorntons Ferry School on the NH SAS assessments, with proficiency rates that are 5-10 percentage points higher.

504
Students ?
12.1
Student/teacher ratio ?
$17,791
Per pupil spending ?
12.3%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 134 Camp Sargent Rd.
       Merrimack, NH  03054-4700

(603) 889-1577

District: Merrimack School District


Students who attend Thorntons Ferry School usually attend:

Middle:    James Mastricola Upper Elementary School
    Merrimack Middle School
High:    Merrimack High School
Racial breakdown:

White:
85.7%
Two or more races:
6.9%
Hispanic:
5.2%
more
 See top rated New Hampshire elementary schools

 Compare Thorntons Ferry School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Rebounding — 41st percentile in 2023 → 48th in 2025
Strengths
Ranking is rebounding — up to 48th (2025) from a 41st-percentile low (2023)
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school51%
District avg53%
New Hampshire avg48%
117th of 224
New Hampshire public elementary schools ?
Bottom 48%▼ down 15 pts since 2015
From top 37% (2015) to bottom 48% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of New Hampshire Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
3rd of 3Elementary Schools in the Merrimack School District
66th of 158Merrimack School District 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)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew Hampshire percentileRating
202549.5117 of 22447.8%★★☆☆☆
202457.197 of 23458.5%★★★☆☆
202344.3140 of 23740.9%★★☆☆☆
202242.6135 of 23342.1%★★☆☆☆
202154.2101 of 21152.1%★★★☆☆
201967.464 of 23172.3%★★★★☆
201859.690 of 23161.0%★★★☆☆
201763.880 of 22965.1%★★★☆☆
201666.472 of 24470.5%★★★★☆
201561.076 of 20663.1%★★★☆☆
201454.5112 of 24253.7%★★★☆☆
201364.982 of 24166.0%★★★☆☆
201283.622 of 24190.9%★★★★★
201181.526 of 23789.0%★★★★☆
201069.268 of 24271.9%★★★★☆
200958.5106 of 24055.8%★★★☆☆
200860.396 of 23659.3%★★★☆☆
200764.690 of 23762.0%★★★☆☆
200678.445 of 23881.1%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew Hampshire percentileRating
202550.994 of 18248.4%★★☆☆☆
202460.170 of 18762.6%★★★☆☆
202350.495 of 19350.8%★★★☆☆
202245.1109 of 18741.7%★★☆☆☆
202152.080 of 16050.0%★★★☆☆
201963.860 of 19268.8%★★★☆☆
201871.038 of 19080.0%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew Hampshire percentileRating
202546.1104 of 18644.1%★★☆☆☆
202449.797 of 19349.7%★★★☆☆
202337.0136 of 19931.7%★★☆☆☆
202240.9120 of 19438.1%★★☆☆☆
202154.767 of 16860.1%★★★☆☆
201967.255 of 19571.8%★★★★☆
201847.1108 of 19544.6%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew Hampshire percentileRating
202550.629 of 7259.7%★★★☆☆
202242.135 of 5940.7%★★☆☆☆
201944.232 of 6046.7%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNew Hampshire percentileRating
202551.6108 of 22351.6%★★★☆☆
202456.5101 of 22855.7%★★★☆☆
202346.8127 of 23345.5%★★☆☆☆
202243.4138 of 22939.7%★★☆☆☆
202156.588 of 20957.9%★★★☆☆
201972.346 of 22979.9%★★★★☆
201861.181 of 22764.3%★★★☆☆
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)
Special Education (2025)60th percentile+12 vs school
White (2025)52nd percentile+4 vs school
Female (2025)48th percentile~ school
Male (2025)44th percentile-4 vs school
By subject vs New Hampshire (2024-2025) ?
Reading52%-3 vs state
Mathematics50%+8 vs state

3.7
3 ratings · 3 written reviews
52
40
30
20
11
Rate Thorntons Ferry School
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, February 4, 2015

Open Quote My son attends Thorntons Ferry School. The teachers and all staff members I have had contact with have been wonderful. It is a caring and supportive environment. Close Quote


by a parent
Friday, June 15, 2012

Open Quote My children are completing 2nd and 3rd grades at Thortons Ferry next week. We relocated to Merrimack 4 years ago from an outstanding school district in Pennsylvania. I was unsure of what to expect from NH public schools. My experience s the last 4 years has exceeded my expectations. The staff has been very professional and wonderful over the years. The school nurse has done an amazing job caring for my children who have severe food allergies. The school does a beautiful job of dealing with peanut allergies. I was very anxious sending my kids to school, but the staff at Thortons Ferry has kept them safe and helped them transition from home to school well. Close Quote


by a parent
Friday, January 22, 2010

Open Quote The staff in the front office are very rude!
The school nurse drags parents out of work if their child has a headache (no fever).
They are continually suggesting ADD/ADHD problems with children, even after pediatrician has said NO WAY!
Once this school year is complete, I am pulling my child out of Thortons Ferry and putting them in private school!
This school is a joke! Close Quote





Schools Near Thorntons Ferry School









Frequently Asked Questions about Thorntons Ferry School

Students at Thorntons Ferry School are 86% White, 7% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

In the 2024-25 school year, 504 students attended Thorntons Ferry School.

Thorntons Ferry School ranks 117th of 224 New Hampshire elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.


Rate Thorntons Ferry School!



Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Thorntons Ferry School!




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.





Diagnostics

None retrieved from Database in 83 milliseconds.