The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in English language arts. The lowest is 15% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Amherst Street School
Amherst Street School sits on the Route 101A corridor in northwest Nashua, a stretch of the city known for its busy commercial centers and thoroughfares rather than the walkable historic core downtown. The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Nashua School District, and its enrollment is moderate for an elementary building in this city. A substantial share of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic mix of the surrounding neighborhood. The school's demographics lean Hispanic, with white students forming the next largest group, plus a smaller multiracial presence and very small numbers of Black and Asian students. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those populations cannot be characterized here.
On New Hampshire's state assessment, the most recent results show a school working from a low baseline with mixed signals across grades and subjects. Math proficiency was low across the tested grades, with the third- and fifth-grade results in a similar range and fourth grade notably lower, where nearly no test-takers reached proficiency. English language arts tells a somewhat different story. Third grade was low, fourth grade modestly higher, and fifth grade reached a level where a fair portion of students demonstrated proficiency. Science, tested only in fifth grade in this state, came in low. Participation rates were strong across all tested grades and subjects. A parent looking at these numbers may want to ask the school directly how it supports students working below grade level, particularly in math, and what interventions are in place for the intermediate grades.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate, no AP or career pathway data, and no high school course access to report. Those gaps reflect the grade band served, not a missing program. The payload did not include information on preschool programming at this specific school, though the district has publicly reported that a Title I preschool program returned to the Nashua School District recently, expanding early childhood access for families across the district. The district also established a centralized Welcome Center at Birch Hill Elementary for all student registrations, which would affect how a family enrolls here.
Nashua itself is New Hampshire's second-largest city, with an economy that has moved from textile mills toward financial services, high technology, and defense contracting. Major employers include BAE Systems, Dell, Oracle, and Teradyne, along with two regional medical centers. The Millyard district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is being redeveloped with loft apartments, artist studios, and startup workspaces, and a publicly reported riverfront revitalization project is underway. The Broad Street Parkway, described as the largest municipally managed public works project in the state, connects downtown to the Everett Turnpike and improves access to the Millyard. Mine Falls Park sits adjacent to downtown and the Millyard, giving residents a substantial green space. The city has added a meaningful number of new market-rate and affordable housing units to its downtown neighborhoods in recent years.
The housing market around Amherst Street School, based on the school's ZIP code, carries typical home values above the state benchmark and well above the national benchmark. Rents are moderate relative to the broader metro. The county-level market shows active, new, and pending listings all rising year over year, with median listing prices easing slightly and homes moving in roughly a month. Mortgage rates in the prevailing environment remain elevated, and the estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home in this ZIP code runs higher than typical rent, which shapes the calculus for families deciding whether to buy or rent near the school. The housing market here is active but not frenzied, with supply and demand both running high.
For a family considering this school, the picture is straightforward. It is a regular public elementary school in a working commercial-residential part of Nashua, serving a diverse student body with pronounced economic need. State test results are low, especially in math, with some upward movement in fifth-grade reading. The surrounding city offers employment depth, ongoing redevelopment, and park access, while the housing market is on the pricier side for New Hampshire. A parent weighing this school would benefit from asking the administration about math intervention, reading growth across the grade levels, and how the district's recent early childhood investments might feed into the kindergarten classes here.
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