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Merrimack Valley High School

Q: Is Merrimack Valley High School a good school?

Merrimack Valley High School ranks 26 th of 86 New Hampshire high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

26^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 86 New Hampshire High Schools

Better than 70% of New Hampshire high schools

Summary

Merrimack Valley High School is a public high school located in Penacook, New Hampshire, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 756 students. The school is part of the Merrimack Valley School District, which is ranked 88 out of 158 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Merrimack Valley High School has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking over the years, ranging from 26th to 71st out of New Hampshire high schools, and its SchoolDigger rating has also varied from 1 to 4 stars, indicating inconsistent performance compared to other high schools in the state. The school's proficiency rates on state assessments and the SAT are generally lower than the state and district averages, particularly in mathematics. Additionally, the school's four-year graduation rate has been around 89%, slightly below the state average, and its dropout rate has been higher than the state average.

When comparing Merrimack Valley High School to nearby high schools, such as Bow High School and Hopkinton High School, it generally performs worse on key metrics like test scores, graduation rates, and student-teacher ratios. This suggests the school may be facing challenges in maintaining consistent academic achievement and improvement. Addressing the needs of the school's relatively high proportion of economically disadvantaged students could be a key focus for the school as it works to improve student outcomes and better serve the needs of its community.

744

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,620

Per pupil spending ?

24.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

106 Village St.
Penacook, NH 03303-1953

(603) 753-4311

District: Merrimack Valley School District

Feeder schools for Merrimack Valley High School:

Elementary:	Boscawen Elementary School
	Loudon Elementary School
	Penacook Elementary School
	Salisbury Elementary School
	More...
	Webster Elementary School
Middle:	Merrimack Valley Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.9%

Hispanic:

3.4%

Two or more races:

2.6%

See top rated New Hampshire high schools

Compare Merrimack Valley High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 26th percentile in 2015 → 70th in 2025

Strengths

✓91% graduate in 4 years — above the New Hampshire average (87%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 44 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the New Hampshire median (70th percentile)

Worth a look

!Mathematics scores 15 pts below the New Hampshire average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school48%

District avg44%

New Hampshire avg46%

26^th of 86

New Hampshire public high schools ?

Top 30%▲ up 44 pts since 2015

From bottom 26% (2015) to top 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Hampshire High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

88^th of 158Merrimack Valley 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2025	59.8	26 of 86	69.8%	★★★★☆
2024	40.5	44 of 87	49.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	22.8	67 of 85	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.2	61 of 85	28.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.6	71 of 84	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.7	42 of 71	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.8	60 of 81	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	43.0	52 of 82	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	29.7	64 of 84	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	26.1	57 of 77	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	33.8	65 of 85	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	44.9	50 of 83	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	47.9	48 of 83	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	48.1	45 of 81	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	71.8	18 of 81	77.8%	★★★★☆
2009	62.9	24 of 79	69.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2025	50.3	34 of 80	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.8	38 of 81	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	25.6	62 of 78	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.2	58 of 79	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.1	53 of 59	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.4	32 of 63	49.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	21.5	46 of 60	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2025	63.5	24 of 78	69.2%	★★★★☆
2024	32.4	51 of 82	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.0	61 of 78	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.2	54 of 78	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.8	46 of 60	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.4	31 of 61	49.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.6	36 of 61	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2023	19.7	26 of 29	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.2	24 of 32	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.6	26 of 31	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Hampshire percentile	Rating
2025	55.9	30 of 86	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.1	49 of 87	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.2	66 of 83	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.7	62 of 85	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.1	58 of 67	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.2	36 of 66	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.3	44 of 64	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2025)69th percentile~ school

White (2025)65th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)58th percentile-12 vs school

Special Education (2023)10th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs New Hampshire (2024-2025) ?

Reading71%+16 vs state

Science46%+8 vs state

Mathematics27%-15 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, December 4, 2022

Big changes need to happen in the school. Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, February 8, 2015

Outstanding administration and dedicated teachers. Close Quote

Schools Near Merrimack Valley High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SAT Mathematics (2025)	SAT Reading (2025)	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	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	SAT Reading 11th Grade	NH SAS Mathematics All Grades	NH SAS Reading All Grades	NH SAS Science 11th Grade	NH SAS Science All Grades	Total
Merrimack Valley High School	Public	9-12	106 Village St.	Penacook	03303	Merrimack County	Merrimack Valley School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 753-4311	744	54	13.8	24.1%	676 (90.9%)	17 (2.3%)	25 (3.4%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (2.6%)	59.8	26^th of 86 public high schools	69.8%		40.5	44^th of 87 public high schools	49.4%	18	27.0	71.0	27.0	71.0	46.0	46.0	$15,620
CSI Charter School	Public, Charter	9-12	26 Washington Street	Penacook	03303	Merrimack County	CSI Charter School	Yes	No	No	No	(603) 753-0194	34	2	16.1	11.8%	34 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Synergy Academy Chartered Public School	Public, Charter	9-12	20 Foundry St	Concord	03301	Merrimack County	Synergy Academy Chartered Public School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(603) 856-7067	21	2	9.5	23.8%	20 (95.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Concord High School	Public	9-12	170 Warren St.	Concord	03301	Merrimack County	Concord School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 225-0800	1,394	107	13.0	30.6%	1,107 (79.4%)	117 (8.4%)	64 (4.6%)	72 (5.2%)	7 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (1.9%)	44.6	46^th of 86 public high schools	46.5%		30.5	60^th of 87 public high schools	31.0%	14	28.0	62.0	28.0	62.0	36.0	36.0	$17,927
Hopkinton High School	Public	9-12	297 Park Ave.	Contoocook	03229	Merrimack County	Hopkinton School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 746-4167	284	24	12.0	7.0%	256 (90.1%)	3 (1.1%)	10 (3.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.9%)	75.4	21^st of 86 public high schools	75.6%		80.6	13^th of 87 public high schools	85.1%	8	28.0	82.0	28.0	82.0	61.0	61.0	$20,330
Benjamin Franklin Academy Chartered Public School (H)	Public, Charter	9-12	157 Chichester Rd	Loudon	03307	Merrimack County	Benjamin Franklin Academy Chartered Public School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(603) 325-7688	24	2	14.1	12.5%	22 (91.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.2%)								(n/a)
Bow High School	Public	9-12	55 Falcon Way	Bow	03304	Merrimack County	Bow School District	No	No	No	No	(603) 228-2210	622	49	12.7	5.1%	566 (91.0%)	3 (0.5%)	24 (3.9%)	10 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (2.9%)	77.5	18^th of 86 public high schools	79.1%		75.2	18^th of 87 public high schools	79.3%		43.0	81.0	43.0	81.0	44.0	44.0	$17,666
Pembroke Academy	Public	9-12	209 Academy Rd.	Pembroke	03275	Merrimack County	Pembroke School District	No	No	No	Yes	(603) 485-7881	744	57	13.0	24.7%	676 (90.9%)	11 (1.5%)	16 (2.2%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	36 (4.8%)	38.2	53^rd of 86 public high schools	38.4%		26.2	65^th of 87 public high schools	25.3%	12	23.0	66.0	23.0	66.0	28.0	28.0	$15,078
Compass Classical Academy Charter School (H)	Public, Charter	9-12	5 Elm Street	Northfield	03276	Merrimack County	Compass Classical Academy Charter School	Yes	No	No	No	(603) 729-3370	43	4	10.7	46.5%	36 (83.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.3%)	5 (11.6%)								(n/a)
Winnisquam Regional High School	Public	9-12	435 W. Main St.	Tilton	03276	Belknap County	Winnisquam Regional School District	No	No	No	Yes	(603) 286-4531	357	22	16.2	30.5%	318 (89.1%)	5 (1.4%)	5 (1.4%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.0%)	21.5	71^st of 86 public high schools	17.4%		16.2	79^th of 87 public high schools	9.2%	8	10.0	56.0	10.0	56.0	28.0	28.0	$19,188

Frequently Asked Questions about Merrimack Valley High School

Is Merrimack Valley High School a good school?

Merrimack Valley High School ranks 26^th of 86 New Hampshire high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Merrimack Valley High School in?

Merrimack Valley School District

How many students attend Merrimack Valley High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 744 students attended Merrimack Valley High School.

What is the racial makeup of Merrimack Valley High School?

Students at Merrimack Valley High School are 91% White, 3% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What schools feed into Merrimack Valley High School?

Merrimack Valley High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Boscawen Elementary School
Elementary : Loudon Elementary School
Elementary : Penacook Elementary School
Elementary : Salisbury Elementary School
Elementary : Webster Elementary School
Middle : Merrimack Valley Middle School

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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.