Schools in Zip Code 03225

ZIP code 03225, which includes Center Barnstead, New Hampshire, has one listed public school: Barnstead Elementary School. Although labeled an elementary school, it serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, making it the main school for local children across both elementary and middle grades. The school enrolls 449 students and has a relatively low student–teacher ratio of 11.5 to 1. About 31% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–2025, indicating that the school serves families with varied economic circumstances. Because it is the only school in the ZIP code, there are no nearby in-ZIP comparisons; its results are best understood against statewide and district benchmarks.

Academic performance at Barnstead Elementary School is below New Hampshire averages in every tested subject. In 2025–2026, 26% of students were proficient in reading, compared with 55% statewide; mathematics and science proficiency were each 13%, compared with 44% and 38% statewide. Reading is the school’s relative strength, especially fourth grade, where 46% of students were proficient—only six points below the state rate. However, fifth-grade reading fell to 16%, and mathematics remained below 20% in every reported grade. Science results were also low in both tested grades, at 13% in fifth grade and 14% in eighth grade. The school’s results closely match those of the Barnstead School District, suggesting these are broad district-level challenges rather than an unusual result at one campus.

Recent trends are concerning. From 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, proficiency declined by three points in mathematics, five points in reading, and 19 points in science. The school’s statewide ranking also moved from the 16th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 2nd percentile in 2025–2026. For families, the most important questions may involve how the school is strengthening mathematics across all grades, what caused the sharp fifth-grade reading drop, and why science performance decreased so substantially. Fourth-grade reading provides a promising example of stronger performance that may offer useful instructional practices. The low student–teacher ratio is a positive structural feature, but the available data suggest that curriculum, intervention, attendance, staffing assignments, and other support systems should also be examined.