The top reported proficiency rate is 80% in English language arts. The lowest is 62% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Fred C. Underhill School
Fred C. Underhill School is an early-elementary public school in Hooksett, New Hampshire, serving prekindergarten through second grade. As a school whose grade band ends before state testing begins, it has no current state assessment results to report. The state tests students starting in third grade, so this is a structural gap rather than a sign of anything missing. The academic performance data on file comes from a much earlier period when the school appears to have included third grade, and those results, while dated, give a limited historical reference point. In that older data, English language arts proficiency was strong, and math was solid though with more room to grow. A parent looking at the school today would want to ask the district how current early-literacy and early-numeracy outcomes are tracked, since the school does not produce its own state test profile.
The student body is small for a school covering four grade levels, and it is predominantly white, with a modest share of students identifying as Hispanic, Asian, multiracial, or Black. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is low, suggesting a relatively advantaged population by the standard measure of household need. Data on English learners and students receiving special education services was not available, so those dimensions of the student profile are left unstated here.
Hooksett itself sits between Manchester and Concord along the Merrimack River. It reads as a growing suburban community with a diverse employment base. Publicly reported data identifies Southern New Hampshire University, GE Aviation, United Healthcare, and an Amazon distribution warehouse among the largest employers, which gives the town a mix of higher education, advanced manufacturing, insurance, and logistics. Retail corridors line Route 3, and the central village clusters around a bridge crossing of the Merrimack. Robie's Country Store, a National Historic Landmark, functions as a civic landmark and a familiar stop during the New Hampshire presidential primary. There is no public transportation, so daily life runs on cars, with Interstate 93 and the state routes tying the town to the broader region.
The housing market in the school's zip code sits slightly above the New Hampshire state benchmark and well above the national one. Home values have risen modestly year over year, and the estimated monthly mortgage cost exceeds the estimated rent by a narrow margin, with rent taking up roughly a third of median household income. For a family weighing a move into the attendance zone, the market is relatively expensive compared with much of the country, though not out of step with the state. The town has experienced substantial growth over a long arc, more than doubling in population across several decades, and recent commercial development has added jobs and tax base. A 2020 Master Plan and a Capital Improvement Plan are in place, and the school district's budget reflects continued investment.
The school operates within the Hooksett School District, which runs two elementary schools and one middle school. High school students are tuitioned to Pinkerton Academy in Derry, so families should understand that the public pathway sends teenagers out of town for grades nine through twelve. We looked for district-level parent-relevant changes such as referenda, curriculum shifts, or property-tax moves and found little publicly reported, so we leave that area unstated rather than guess.
Because Underhill is a very early grade school, the things that matter most to a parent are the classroom environment, teacher continuity, and how the school prepares children for the transition to the upper elementary grades. The data provided does not speak to staffing ratios, attendance, discipline, or course access, so those dimensions cannot be characterized here. A parent visiting would want to ask directly about class sizes, reading instruction, and the handoff to the next school in the district.
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