Kearsarge Regional School District, NH

Original Research by School Decision on Kearsarge Regional School District

Kearsarge Regional School District serves a cluster of towns in the Lake Sunapee region of New Hampshire, drawing students from Bradford, Newbury, New London, Sutton, Springfield, Wilmot, and small shares from Enfield and Grantham. It is a district of modest size, with enrollment spread across preschool through a thirteenth-year program, and its schools include elementary buildings in Bradford, New London, Sutton, and Warner, a regional middle school, and a regional high school. The student body is overwhelmingly white, with only small shares of students from other racial or ethnic backgrounds. The district operates two preschool programs, one in Bradford and one in New London.

The academic picture from the most recent state assessments shows a district that is stronger in English language arts than in mathematics. In ELA, a majority of students across grades three through eight reach proficiency, with fifth grade standing out as particularly strong. The pattern holds reasonably steady through the upper grades, with seventh grade dipping somewhat but remaining above the midpoint. These are solid literacy results for a district of this size and setting.

Mathematics tells a different story. Third grade begins with a clear majority of students proficient, but proficiency drops sharply by fifth grade and settles into a range where fewer than half of students are proficient through the middle grades. The decline from the early grades to the upper ones is pronounced. Science results, available only for fifth and eighth grades, show a similar tilt, with fewer than half of students proficient in both tested grades. A parent looking at these numbers, particularly at the middle-school level, may want to ask the district what interventions or curriculum changes are underway in math and science instruction.

Only one year of assessment data is available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent an improving trend, a declining one, or a stable pattern. The district's multi-year summary did not provide prior-year comparisons.

The housing market across the district's towns is mixed but generally expensive relative to national norms, sitting close to the New Hampshire state benchmark. New London stands out as the most expensive community in the district, with home values well above the district average, while Bradford, Sutton, and Springfield offer somewhat more affordable entry points. Wilmot and Newbury fall in between. Rental data is limited, drawn from only a single contributing zip code, so the rental picture is thin and a family relying on rentals would need to search locally. The price-to-income ratio is elevated, meaning homeownership here demands a larger share of household income than in many parts of the country. This is consistent with much of the lakes and mountains region, where second-home demand and limited inventory push prices up.

The district brief turned up little in the way of recent parent-relevant changes. Publicly reported materials referenced the annual meeting warrant, but no specific program additions, closures, or policy shifts with confirmed lasting impact were found. This is not unusual for a smaller regional district, but it means families looking for signs of recent strategic direction will need to go directly to the district's own communications.

Several data fields that parents often rely on were not available. Free-or-reduced-price lunch counts were missing, so the economic profile of the student body cannot be characterized from this source. Special education and English learner rates were also absent. Civil-rights data, course access information, staffing levels, discipline figures, and graduation rates were not provided. A neighbor comparison was not available, so the district cannot be positioned against nearby districts using the comparison fact-set. Families who want to weigh Kearsarge against its neighbors would need to look at the state's own district-level reporting.

What the data does show is a district serving a rural community with solid literacy results, a clear soft spot in math and science as students move into the upper grades, and a housing market that reflects the broader pressures of the region. For a family already settled in one of these towns, the schools provide a stable, small-district experience. For a family choosing where to buy or rent, the variation in housing costs across the district's towns is worth understanding, as is the academic dip in the middle grades.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

1,676

Grades

PK–13

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 2%

Black 1%

White 94%

Asian 1%

Two+ 2%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

52%

53%

Gr 4

30%

70%

Gr 5

54%

74%

Gr 6

55%

63%

Gr 7

35%

61%

Gr 8

40%

64%

Math

Gr 3

43%

70%

Gr 4

31%

66%

Gr 5

15%

44%

Gr 6

25%

49%

Gr 7

15%

50%

Gr 8

15%

47%

Science

Gr 5

42%

47%

Gr 8

35%

36%

Schools in this District

8 schools are officially reported under this district.

Kearsarge Reg. Elementary School - Bradford

Kearsarge Regional High School

Kearsarge Reg. Elem. School at New London

Simonds Elementary School

Sutton Central Elementary School

Kearsarge Regional Middle School

Kearsarge Regional Preschool New London

Kearsarge Regional Preschool Bradford

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

66%

Grade 3

58%

Grade 4

39%

Grade 5

45%

Grade 6

45%

Grade 7

42%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

53%

Grade 3

62%

Grade 4

70%

Grade 5

62%

Grade 6

57%

Grade 7

60%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

47%

Grade 5

36%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$514,213

Year-over-year change+3.1%

Range across 8 ZIP codes$452K to $694K

vs. state typical1.01x

vs. national typical1.40x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (8 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
03278	Sutton	$462K	+3.0%	21.6%
03221	Bradford	$459K	+5.7%	18.5%
03284	Springfield	$479K	+3.1%	14.5%
03255	Newbury	$594K	+0.1%	13.6%
03287	Wilmot	$517K	+3.7%	11.1%
03257	New London	$694K	+1.6%	8.9%
03748	Enfield	$452K	+6.9%	0.9%
03753	Grantham	$498K	+1.6%	0.4%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$3,200/mo

ZIP code rents (1 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
03748	Enfield	$3,200	—	0.9%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$2,595/mo

Home price / national median income6.1x

Annual rent / national median income45.9%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$605/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$510,709 (+2.7% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.