The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in English language arts. The lowest is 35% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on James Mastricola Upper Elementary School
James Mastricola Upper Elementary School sits on Baboosic Lake Road in Merrimack, New Hampshire, serving fifth and sixth graders as part of the Merrimack School District. It is a regular public school, and its two-grade configuration makes it a transitional building, one that bridges elementary and middle school for a relatively brief window of a child's education.
The most recent state assessment results, from the New Hampshire SAS, show a school where English language arts is a clear strength. Well over half of fifth graders and an even larger share of sixth graders reached proficiency in ELA, with nearly all students participating. Math results are more mixed: approaching half of students met proficiency in both grades, which leaves a substantial portion below that bar. Science, tested only in fifth grade, was the weakest area, with only about a third of students proficient. A parent weighing this school may want to look into the math and science instruction further with the school, particularly how the curriculum builds from fourth grade and prepares students for middle school. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results reflect improvement, decline, or stability.
The student body is moderate in size for a two-grade school. It is overwhelmingly white, with small numbers of Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Economic disadvantage is low by most standards, with only a modest share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on individualized education programs and English learner status was not reported, so the picture of special-population support is incomplete here. Because the school serves only fifth and sixth grades, there is no graduation rate, no high school endpoint, and no college or career data to draw on. Those gaps are explained by the grade band rather than by anything missing from reporting.
Merrimack itself is a suburban bedroom community spread across southern New Hampshire, bordering Nashua, Manchester, Bedford, Litchfield, Hollis, and Amherst. The town is organized around four historic villages: Merrimack Village, Reeds Ferry, Thorntons Ferry, and South Merrimack. Each once had its own post office, schools, and stores, and that dispersed pattern still shapes how the town feels today. There is no traditional Main Street or walkable downtown. The built environment is corporate campuses, a large outlet mall, strip commercial, and residential subdivisions connected by major roads. The Everett Turnpike runs north-south through town and is the primary artery, with exits serving the different village areas and commercial zones. Publicly reported sources describe Merrimack as overwhelmingly car-dependent, and the six public schools are spread across different parts of town rather than clustered on a central campus.
The town's employment base is unusually corporate for a New Hampshire community of its size. Fidelity Investments maintains a major campus, and BAE Systems, Anheuser-Busch, Atrium Maquet Getinge Group, and several other employers have operations here. The Merrimack Premium Outlets, located off one of the turnpike exits, are a regional retail draw. Thomas More College of Liberal Arts is also located within the town. The Merrimack and Souhegan rivers run through the area and historically served as camping and fishing grounds for Pennacook people. The Academy for Science and Design, New Hampshire's first charter school focused on science, math, engineering, and design, was established in Merrimack but has since moved to Nashua.
Housing in the school's zip code is expensive relative to both state and national benchmarks. The typical home value sits above the state figure and well above the national one, and rents are similarly elevated. The county-level market shows active and pending listings moving briskly, with homes typically going under contract within a few weeks of listing. Mortgage costs at current rates outpace rents by a modest margin, and the price-to-income ratio suggests that buying here requires a strong household income. For families already settled in Merrimack, the housing market is a fact of life; for those considering a move, it is a real cost factor alongside the school decision.
We looked for recent parent-relevant changes in the Merrimack School District but found little of lasting impact, so that context is left out rather than guessed. The same is true for discipline data, course access, staffing ratios, and attendance figures: none were available for this school. What the available picture does show is a two-year academic stopover in an affluent, car-dependent suburban town, with solid reading outcomes, workable but uneven math results, and a science result that stands out as the soft spot. Families for whom ELA strength matters, and who value a community with a strong corporate employment base and easy turnpike access to the broader region, will find a recognizable fit here, with the caveat that math and science are worth a closer conversation before enrollment.
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