Manchester School District, NH

Original Research by School Decision on Manchester School District

Manchester School District serves New Hampshire's largest city, spanning prekindergarten through grade 12 across 21 schools. The enrollment is large for the state, reflecting the urban character of the community it serves. Students are distributed across a familiar structure: a dozen-plus elementary schools, four middle schools, and three comprehensive high schools alongside the Manchester School of Technology, which functions as a fourth high school option with a career and technical focus. The district is governed by a Board of School Committee of 15 members elected to two-year terms, with the mayor serving as chairman, so governance is directly tied to municipal elections.

The student body is diverse for northern New England. Slightly under half of students are identified as white, with a substantial Hispanic population and meaningful Black and multiracial representation. This composition shapes the district's identity in a state that is predominantly white, and families coming from larger metropolitan areas may find the peer environment more familiar than what many New Hampshire districts offer.

Academic performance, as measured by the New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System in the most recent reporting year, is a clear area where families will want to look closely. Math proficiency across grades is low, with results in the mid-teens to high-twenties depending on the grade. English language arts results are somewhat higher but still modest, generally landing in the mid-twenties to roughly thirty percent proficient. Science results follow a similar pattern. Participation rates are strong across nearly every grade and subject, which means the results reflect the full student population rather than a skewed subset. The district has only one year of comparable data available, so trend information that would show whether performance is improving or declining is not present. A parent evaluating this district may want to ask school leadership directly about improvement plans and how recent initiatives are tracking against these baseline figures.

Several data points that parents often weigh are absent here. Free and reduced-price lunch counts were not reported, so the economically disadvantaged share of the student population cannot be characterized from this data. Special education and English learner rates are also missing. No graduation rate was provided. Discipline, course access, and staffing details were not available. These gaps limit the picture, but they reflect what the data sections contain rather than anything about the district's willingness to share. Families should request these figures directly from the district or individual schools.

What is documented about district-level change comes from publicly reported sources. In early 2022, voters approved a budget that increased funding over the prior year, with directed spending for expanded social-emotional learning supports, special education services, and instructional coaching. That same year brought a leadership transition: an interim superintendent appointed in February was confirmed to the permanent role in May. These are recent enough shifts that their effects on classrooms may still be unfolding, and the district's own note acknowledges that curriculum and pedagogy changes are not well documented in the available record.

Housing in Manchester sits below the New Hampshire state benchmark for typical home values but above the national figure. Rents are moderate relative to the broader region. The housing market in Hillsborough County shows strong supply and demand activity, with homes moving at a brisk pace. For families considering a move into the district, the housing stock is more accessible than in many surrounding New Hampshire communities, though competition remains vigorous.

Manchester is a district with the scale and diversity to offer varied pathways, including its technology-focused high school option. The academic results, though, are the central question a parent will want to explore. The assessment numbers are on the page in their own fields. What matters here is that they describe a district working from a lower proficiency baseline, and families deserve a direct conversation with school leadership about how that is being addressed.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

11,980

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 26%

Black 11%

White 49%

Asian 4%

Two+ 10%

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

17%

36%

Gr 4

20%

43%

Gr 5

16%

34%

Gr 6

17%

37%

Gr 7

20%

36%

Gr 8

16%

33%

Math

Gr 3

15%

39%

Gr 4

18%

41%

Gr 5

19%

Gr 6

11%

23%

Gr 7

11%

24%

Gr 8

22%

Science

Gr 5

18%

Gr 8

10%

25%

Schools in this District

21 schools are officially reported under this district.

Bakersville School

Beech Street School

Manchester Central High School

Gossler Park School

Green Acres School

Highland-Goffes Falls School

Hillside Middle School

Jewett School

Manchester Memorial High School

Parker-Varney School

Middle School At Parkside

Smyth Road School

Southside Middle School

Webster School

Manchester West High School

Weston Elementary School

Henry Wilson Elementary School

McDonough School

Northwest Elementary School

Henry J. McLaughlin Jr. Middle School

Manchester School of Technology (High School)

Academic Performance

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

Mathematics

6 grades reported

26%

Grade 3

28%

Grade 4

13%

Grade 5

16%

Grade 6

17%

Grade 7

14%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

25%

Grade 3

30%

Grade 4

24%

Grade 5

26%

Grade 6

27%

Grade 7

24%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

12%

Grade 5

17%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

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

Home Values

Typical home value$447,651

Year-over-year change+1.3%

Range across 5 ZIP codes$421K to $482K

vs. state typical0.88x

vs. national typical1.22x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (5 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
03103	Manchester	$421K	+1.3%	27.1%
03104	Manchester	$482K	+1.4%	25.1%
03102	Manchester	$422K	+1.3%	23.5%
03109	Manchester	$469K	+1.4%	21.9%
03101	Manchester	$438K	+0.3%	2.3%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,947/mo

Year-over-year change+1.5%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$1,881 to $2,355/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
03103	Manchester	$1,882	+1.9%	27.1%
03104	Manchester	$1,881	+0.3%	25.1%
03102	Manchester	$2,052	+2.3%	23.5%
03101	Manchester	$2,355	+3.3%	2.3%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$2,259/mo

Home price / national median income5.3x

Annual rent / national median income27.9%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$312/mo

Market Activity: Hillsborough County

Median listing price$585,000

Median listing price YoY-2.3%

Median price per sq ft$300

Median price per sq ft YoY+2.0%

Median days on market24.0 days

Median days on market YoY+2.1%

Active listings458

Active listings YoY+10.4%

New listings548

New listings YoY+7.0%

Pending listings632

Pending listings YoY+11.7%

Hotness: median listing price$575,000

Hotness: median listing price YoY-1.7%

Supply score98.3

Supply score YoY+0.6%

Demand score99.1

Median listing price (12 months)

Median price per sq ft (12 months)

Median days on market (12 months)

Active listings (12 months)

New listings (12 months)

Pending listings (12 months)

Hotness: median listing price (12 months)

Supply score (12 months)

Demand score (12 months)

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.