The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 37% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on The Birches Academy of Academics & Art a Public Charter Sch
The Birches Academy of Academics & Art is a single-school public charter district in New Hampshire serving kindergarten through eighth grade. It is a small school, with one grade per cohort and a tight community feel that comes from that structure. The student body is predominantly white, with small representation from Asian, Hispanic, multiracial, and Black students. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data was not reported, and the data set does not include IEP or English-learner counts, so a parent evaluating fit for special education or language-support services would want to ask the school directly.
The school's identity has evolved. Publicly reported information indicates that in 2022, the Birches shifted from its original arts-integrated focus to a STEAM curriculum, bringing 3D printing, robotics, and other science and engineering projects into instruction across all grade levels. The arts remain an area of focus and strength, but the formal curricular emphasis now centers on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. That same year, the school received the U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School designation, a recognition of overall academic excellence.
On the most recent New Hampshire state assessments, the academic picture is mixed and follows a clear pattern across grade levels. In the earlier grades, proficiency is strong. Third and fourth grade math results sit well above where many schools land, and English language arts in third through fifth grade is consistently solid. The fourth grade cohort in particular posted strong results in both subjects.
The picture shifts as students move into the upper elementary and middle grades. Math proficiency declines steadily from fifth grade onward, with sixth and seventh grade results dropping to a level where fewer than half of tested students are proficient, and eighth grade math results coming in notably low. English language arts holds up better through the middle grades but also dips by eighth grade. Science, assessed only in fifth and eighth grade, shows proficiency below half in both tested grades. A parent looking at the middle school experience may want to look into this further with the school, particularly how the STEAM curriculum transition is supporting math instruction in the upper grades and what interventions or curricular adjustments are in place for students who are not yet proficient.
Because the school serves only through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and state testing does not apply to kindergarten through second grade in New Hampshire, so those grades have no assessment results.
Several pieces a parent might want are absent from the available data. We looked for locale and community context, housing information, staffing levels, discipline data, course access details, and a neighbor comparison set, but found none of these reported for this entity. The data also does not include a strategic plan or enrollment-trend history. Rather than guess, we left those out.
What the data does support is a clear read: the Birches is a small, predominantly white K-8 charter school with a recently redefined STEAM focus and a recognized arts tradition. Its youngest tested students perform well, especially in the early elementary grades. The upper grades show weaker proficiency, most sharply in math, and that pattern is worth a direct conversation with the school for any family considering enrollment in fifth through eighth grade. The Blue Ribbon recognition and the curricular redesign suggest an institution actively working on its identity, and the current assessment results reflect a school whose strengths and challenges both become more visible as students advance.
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