New Hampshire Schools & Education
Public school metrics and education data for all 10 counties.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataAvg Graduation Rate
87.2%
Avg Per-Pupil Spending
$12,649
Avg School Score
66/100
Total Schools
502
197 districts
State Overview
About Schools in New Hampshire
This summary is generated from the NCES metrics shown on this page and reviewed against the source data by the Data Editor. It is not school advice.
Significant performance gaps exist across ten counties
Education quality varies across New Hampshire's ten counties, with school scores ranging from a high of 71.3 in Grafton to a low of 59.0 in Hillsborough. While Rockingham County leads the state with a 91.6% graduation rate, Belknap County trails at 82.9%, revealing an 8.7 percentage point gap in student outcomes.
Grafton, Carroll, and Rockingham lead the state
Grafton County secures the top spot with a 71.3 score, followed closely by Carroll County at 70.6, both leveraging high per-pupil spending above $14,600. Rockingham County rounds out the top three, boasting the state's highest graduation rate of 91.6% while maintaining a more efficient $13,005 spending level.
State Score Context
How New Hampshire Counties Are Distributed
10 of 10 counties have enough NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data to receive a county school score. Use this distribution to understand whether the state has a concentrated cluster of high, midrange, or lower measured signals.
Scored county coverage
Counties with complete enough data for the composite score
100%
Higher measured signal
Score range 70-100
4
Midrange measured signal
Score range 40-69
6
Lower measured signal
Score range 0-39
0
Scores are comparative signals from available federal data, not ratings of individual schools.
Best school counties
Best Counties for Public School Research in New Hampshire
For a first-pass answer to parent searches about where the best schools are in New Hampshire, start with county-level evidence, then open individual school and district records. SchoolsByCounty ranks counties by public education signals, not by private opinions or paid school ratings.
Short answer for New Hampshire
Grafton County is the strongest county-level starting point in New Hampshire by the current SchoolsByCounty score, with a measured school signal of 80/100. This is a county comparison signal, not a promise that every school in the county is the best fit for every family.
Ranking methodology
10 of 10 counties have enough federal education data for a county school score. The ranking favors counties with stronger available graduation-rate and school-finance signals, then asks parents to verify individual school fit locally. The table below should help parents choose what to compare next; it should not replace attendance-boundary checks, program eligibility, commute, services, or direct district confirmation.
State average per-pupil spending in this dataset: $12,649.
Top measured county school signals
Ranked by the county school score where enough federal data is available.
Rockingham County
91.6%
Rockingham County has the strongest reported county graduation-rate signal in New Hampshire. Use this as a broad county context, then review individual high-school records.
Grafton County
$14,898
Grafton County reports the highest per-pupil spending among counties with available data. Higher spending is context, not a guarantee of student fit.
Belknap County
56/100
Belknap County has one of the lowest measured county school signals in New Hampshire. Review missing data, district context, and individual school records before drawing conclusions.
District research
Compare New Hampshire public school districts before narrowing by address
New Hampshire has 197 public school district records and 502 school records in the NCES file. Use the district hub to sort large district systems by enrollment, school count, county context, and generated district-guide coverage.
All New Hampshire Counties
| County | School Score |
|---|---|
Grafton County
| 80/100 |
Rockingham County
| 79/100 |
Carroll County
| 78/100 |
Cheshire County
| 71/100 |
Sullivan County
| 63/100 |
Merrimack County
| 62/100 |
Hillsborough County
| 57/100 |
Coos County
| 57/100 |
Strafford County
| 57/100 |
Belknap County
| 56/100 |
— = data not available for this county.
Compare county school profiles in New Hampshire
Use the comparison tool to review school scores, graduation rates, and spending side by side.
Frequently Asked Questions About New Hampshire Schools
Which New Hampshire counties have the highest graduation rates?
What is per-pupil spending like in New Hampshire?
What are the best school counties in New Hampshire?
Which New Hampshire county has the strongest measured school score?
What is the average graduation rate in New Hampshire?
Which county in New Hampshire has the lowest school score?
Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.