The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in Math. The lowest is 48% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Bicentennial Elementary School
Bicentennial Elementary School sits on East Dunstable Road in Nashua, New Hampshire's second-largest city, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Nashua School District. The school draws from a city that has reshaped itself over the past several decades. Once a textile-mill town, Nashua now anchors its economy on defense contracting, high technology, financial services, and regional healthcare, with employers like BAE Systems, Teradyne, Dell, and Oracle alongside two major medical centers. The city stretches across three commercial districts, from a historic Main Street downtown to the Amherst Street corridor and the South Nashua shopping strip along Daniel Webster Highway near the Massachusetts border. The Nashua Millyard, a former industrial complex listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is being redeveloped into loft apartments, artist studios, and startup workspaces, and the city has invested in a riverfront walkway and a parkway connecting downtown to the Everett Turnpike. For a family considering Bicentennial, this means a school embedded in a mid-sized New England city with a genuinely diverse economy and active civic reinvestment, not a bedroom suburb with a single identity.
The school itself is sizable for an elementary building, with enrollment spread fairly evenly across kindergarten and the upper grades. Its student body is more racially varied than many New Hampshire schools. White students make up about half the enrollment, with the next largest group being Asian students at roughly a quarter, followed by Hispanic students and a smaller multiracial population. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is relatively low compared with many urban public schools, which points to a generally middle-class catchment area. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available in the provided records, so a parent wanting to understand those supports would need to ask the school directly.
On New Hampshire's state assessments, the NH SAS, Bicentennial's results are a clear strength in math and English language arts across the tested grades. Fourth graders stand out, with proficiency rates in both subjects that are well above what most schools post. Third and fifth grade results are solidly above middle-of-the-pack as well, though third grade ELA is the relatively softer spot, with a bare majority of students reaching proficiency. Science is tested only in fifth grade at this level, and the proficiency rate there sits below the math and ELA marks. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly whether science instruction is getting the same attention as the core literacy and numeracy work. Participation rates across all tested grades and subjects were strong, with nearly all eligible students taking the assessments.
Because Bicentennial serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate, no AP or dual-credit course access, and no high school pathway data to report. Those measures simply do not apply to a school ending at fifth grade. The provided data did not include discipline reports, staffing ratios, attendance figures, or specific program offerings such as art, music, or extracurriculars, so those pieces of the school environment are not addressed here. What the records do show is a school with consistent academic performance in the tested subjects and a student population that reflects Nashua's broader diversity.
At the district level, the Nashua School District has recently brought back a Title I preschool program, expanding early childhood access for families, and has centralized all student registration through a Welcome Center at Birch Hill Elementary. These are practical changes that affect how a family enters the system and what early-grade options may be available before kindergarten.
The housing market around Bicentennial reflects Nashua's position in the broader Boston-area orbit. Typical home values in the school's zip code sit above the New Hampshire state benchmark and well above national figures, though they remain below some of the pricier Boston suburbs. The Hillsborough County market has seen listing activity grow recently, with homes moving fairly quickly by national standards. Rents in the area are moderate relative to local incomes, and the gap between renting and owning is narrower than in many high-cost regions. For families weighing a move into the Bicentennial attendance zone, the housing picture is one of a competitive but not overheated market in a city with ongoing investment in its downtown and infrastructure.
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