Summary:
ZIP code 03276, which includes Tilton, has one middle school serving grades 5–8: Winnisquam Regional Middle School. The school enrolls 361 students and is part of the Winnisquam Regional School District. With a student-teacher ratio of 12.8 to 1 and 37.4% of students participating in free or reduced-price lunch programs, it offers a moderately sized middle-school setting. Because it is the only middle school in the ZIP code, families do not have other local schools to compare directly.
The school’s strongest academic area is mathematics. Overall math proficiency is 49%, five points above the New Hampshire average and three points above the district rate. Sixth-grade math stands out especially, with 67% of students proficient—24 points above the state result—while fifth-grade math is also above average at 52%. However, math performance drops to 42% in seventh grade and 35% in eighth grade, suggesting that families may want to ask how the school supports students as coursework becomes more advanced. Science results are mixed: fifth-grade proficiency is 27%, but eighth-grade proficiency rises to 41%, four points above the state.
Reading is the school’s clearest area for improvement. Only 39% of students are proficient overall, compared with 55% statewide and 45% across the district. Reading performance is below the state in every tested grade, ranging from 36% in eighth grade to 43% in fifth grade, indicating a broad schoolwide challenge rather than a problem limited to one class. Recent results show encouraging gains in math, which increased seven points from the prior year, and science, which rose three points; reading declined slightly by two points. The school’s ranking has improved modestly over three years, reaching the 38th percentile, while the district is at the 55th percentile. Parents may therefore view math as a relative strength and focus questions on literacy improvement, fifth-grade science, and maintaining achievement through grades 7 and 8.
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