The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in English language arts. The lowest is 21% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Beaver Meadow School
Beaver Meadow School sits on Sewalls Falls Road in Concord, New Hampshire's capital city and the seat of Merrimack County. It is a regular public elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, part of the Concord School District. The surrounding city blends a historic downtown commercial core along Main Street with residential neighborhoods in the North End and South End, plus four outlying villages: Penacook, Concord Heights, East Concord, and West Concord. State government is the top employer in the city, and Concord Hospital is the largest private employer, giving the community a mix of public-sector, healthcare, and insurance activity. Concord Heights, a flat plain east of the Merrimack River, has absorbed most of the city's commercial development in recent decades, so the area carries a mixed residential-and-commercial character.
The school's enrollment is moderate for an elementary building, with students spread fairly evenly across the early grades. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller representations of Black, Asian, multiracial, and Hispanic students. Data on individualized education programs and English learner status was not available in the provided materials, so those populations cannot be characterized here. The school does not carry a charter or magnet designation, and Title I status was not reported in the data.
On state assessments, the most recent results show a mixed picture across grades and subjects. Fourth grade stands out as the strongest performing group, with roughly half of tested students reaching proficiency in both math and English language arts. Third grade results are lower, with about a third of students proficient in each subject. Fifth grade shows the most challenging results, with math and science proficiency falling below the third-grade levels and English language arts landing in between. Participation rates were high across all tested grades and subjects. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent an improvement or decline from prior years. A parent weighing this school may want to look into the grade-to-grade variation with the school directly, particularly the dip in fifth-grade outcomes.
Because Beaver Meadow serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The school does not administer the statewide science assessment except in fifth grade, which is the only grade-level science result available.
The housing market in the school's zip code shows typical home values sitting above the national benchmark but below the state benchmark for New Hampshire. Home values have been rising modestly year over year, and rents have risen at a slightly faster pace. The price-to-income ratio suggests that buying a home in this area requires a relatively large share of a typical household's income compared with national norms, and estimated monthly mortgage costs exceed typical rent by a meaningful margin. The broader economic environment features a national unemployment rate that has held steady in recent months.
At the district level, Concord voters approved a bond in March 2024 to replace Rundlett Middle School, which had ongoing infrastructure, HVAC, and plumbing issues. The new middle school will be built on a new site and is expected to open around 2027. The bond will increase property taxes for Concord residents for the life of the bond, and publicly reported descriptions call this one of the largest school construction projects in New Hampshire history. This does not directly affect Beaver Meadow, but it signals that the district is investing in facilities that these elementary students will eventually move into.
In sum, Beaver Meadow offers a conventional public elementary pathway in a capital-city setting with a stable economic base. Its assessment results are uneven across grades, with fourth grade as a relative bright spot and fifth grade as an area a parent may want to understand better. The housing market is more expensive than the national average but slightly more accessible than the New Hampshire state benchmark. The district's middle school replacement project points to continued investment in the pipeline that lies ahead for families starting here.
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