Nashua, New Hampshire students struggle in Math and Science

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NASHUA – Fewer than half of New Hampshire high school students are considered proficient in math and science – and the percentage rated proficient in English and language arts is also down compared to last year.

“We want to follow our students’ progress in order to help support schools in designing strong instructional practices to advance student learning outcomes,” New Hampshire Department of Education Instructional Support Administrator Julie Couch said of Friday with the release of the agency’s statistics.

“These results show that our current system is working for some students, but not all. We need to keep working to find paths to bright futures for all New Hampshire students,” Couch added.

The assessment results released on Friday showed that in the 2018-19 academic year, 43% of New Hampshire high school juniors tested as proficient in math, while 45% of eighth-graders were ranked proficient.

In science, 41% of juniors earned proficiency, along with another 39% of eighth-graders.

In English and language arts, the results were somewhat better. A full 64% of high school juniors tested as proficient in this field, as did 53% of those in eighth grade.

“The assessment results demonstrate that through our education delivery system, about half of New Hampshire students have attained grade-level proficiency,” Granite State Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut said. “That is disappointing, but we continue to closely follow student performance to find out where we are making progress, and where we can do better.”

The assessment measures student proficiency in math and English and language arts for grades 3-8 and science for grades 5, 8, and 11. The SAT serves as the 11th grade assessment in math and English and language arts.

Assessments are designed to measure student proficiency of state academic standards. Educators established the standards with the approval of the State Board of Education in 2009 based on what it believes students need to know to be “college and career” ready.

Schools distribute individual student results to families by the end of each school year.

By tracking students as they move from grade to grade, the results show that across the, state the percentage showing proficiency in English and language arts increased in three grades and fell in two others from last year. Proficiency in math increased in two grades, but fell in three. High school SAT results tracked about the same, with a small decline in English and language arts and a small increase in math.


English and language arts scores for juniors had steadily improved until 2018-19, as they started at 59% in 2014-15 before climbing to 66% for the next three years. The rate fell slightly to 64% for 18-19.

For those in eighth grade, English and language proficiency has fallen steadily since the 2015-16 school year, as it began at 62%, but is now at 53%.

For math, although the scores remain sub-50%, they are on the upward trend, having begun at 37% for high school juniors in 2014-15.

Teachers with Master’s Degrees And Student-Teacher Ratio

The Telegraph also included data regarding the level of education teachers have obtained, as well as the number of students each teacher is responsible to educate, as a way of informing parents of the environment their children face when trying to prepare for the proficiency tests.

• Nashua School District

Teachers with at least a master’s degree: 65%

Student-teacher ratio: N/A

Student-teacher ratio for English language learner students: 49-1

• Merrimack School District

Teachers with at least a master’s degree: 72%

Student-teacher ratio: 12-1

• Hollis Brookline Cooperative School District

Teachers with at least a master’s degree: 78%

Student-teacher ratio: 13-1

• Bedford School District

Teachers with at least a master’s degree: 71%

Student-teacher ratio: 14-1

• Milford School District

Teachers with at least a master’s degree: 68%

Student-teacher ratio: 13-1

• SAU 39 (Amherst and Mont Vernon)

Teachers with at least a master’s degree: 75%

Student-teacher ratio: 14-1

• Pelham School District

Teachers with at least a master’s degree: 64%

Student-teacher ratio: 14-1

• Litchfield School District

Teachers with at least a master’s degree: 64%

Student-teacher ratio: 12-1

• Hudson School District

Teachers with at least a master’s degree: 51%

Student-teacher ratio: 12.6-1

• Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School District

Teachers with at least a master’s degree: 68%

Student-teacher ratio: 10-1

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