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What's the most underrated thing about Alton Central School (Elem) that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
407
Elementary
STATE 249
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ALTON SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 330144000003
Alton Central School (Elem)
41 School St., Alton, NH 03809 · (603) 875-7500 · Belknap County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY32-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL407 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 8% of New Hampshire public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- FBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded New Hampshire public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
9.3:1
44 FTE teachers
STATE 11.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
15%
61 students
STATE 26%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 36 | 9% |
| Kindergarten | 38 | 9% |
| Grade 1 | 43 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 43 | 11% |
| Grade 3 | 37 | 9% |
| Grade 4 | 43 | 11% |
| Grade 5 | 43 | 11% |
| Grade 6 | 39 | 10% |
| Grade 7 | 47 | 12% |
| Grade 8 | 38 | 9% |
This year's kindergarten class (38) is about the same size as its 8th grade class (38).
Student demographics
9%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
STATE 33% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NHSAS 2024-25 . % Above ProficientEnglish Language Arts
46.0%
NH avg 55.2%
Math
29.0%
NH avg 43.0%
What this means: On the NHSAS, New Hampshire's statewide test, about 46 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 29 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all New Hampshire schools, those numbers are about 55 and 43.
Source: NHSAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of NH schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
37.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
53.9%
based on NH schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-16.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 37% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 54% typical for New Hampshire schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Alton Central School (Elem)
Alton Central School (Elem)'s state test result (37.1% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alton Central School (Elem) this school | 407 | 15.0% | 37.1% |
| Strafford School Strafford | 376 | 15.7% | 46.0% |
| Barrington Elementary School Barrington | 405 | 12.8% | 49.5% |
| Northwood Elementary School Northwood | 413 | 17.4% | 48.5% |
| Epping Elementary School Epping | 464 | 17.2% | 42.0% |
| Center Woods School Weare | 377 | 14.1% | 50.0% |
Matched among New Hampshire elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Alton Central School (Elem) ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Hampshire | In Belknap County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 37.1% | #165 of 209 | #8 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 29.0% | #175 of 209 | #9 of 10 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 46.0% | #134 of 210 | #8 of 10 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 407 | #47 of 300 | #2 of 12 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 9.3:1 | #22 of 179 | #1 of 9 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 8.5% | #173 of 181 | #8 of 9 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 15.0% | #164 of 240 | #9 of 10 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -10.2% | #90 of 139 | #5 of 8 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
407
-12 (-3%) vs 2020
-30% since 1990-91, when it was 582
Student : Teacher
9.3:1
was 10.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 407 | 43.6 | 9.3:1 | 15% (61) |
| 2023-24 | 418 | 43 | 9.7:1 | 15% (62) |
| 2022-23 | 417 | 43 | 9.7:1 | 17% (70) |
| 2020-21 | 419 | 42 | 10.0:1 | 17% (71) |
| 2017-18 | 453 | 39 | 11.6:1 | 30% (135) |
| 2015-16 | 483 | 46 | 10.5:1 | 24% (117) |
| 2010-11 | 549 | 46 | 11.9:1 | 24% (130) |
| 2000-01 | 508 | 37 | 13.7:1 | 16% (81) |
| 1990-91 | 582 | 46 | 12.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Alton Central School (Elem).
Since 2017-18: students down 10% (453 to 407); teachers up 12% (39 to 43.6).
About Alton Central School (Elem)
Alton Central School (Elem) is a large elementary school in Alton, New Hampshire, under Alton School District. There are 407 students enrolled, covering pre-K through 8. That puts enrollment 63% above the 249-student average for elementary schools in New Hampshire.
Alton Central School (Elem) reports to Alton School District.
At Alton Central School (Elem), 96% of students are White. The remaining students are 3% multiracial. Census estimates put Belknap County at about 93% White, close to the school's figure. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Alton Central School (Elem) scores 9%.
There are about 9.3 students for every full-time-equivalent teacher at Alton Central School (Elem), which has 43.6. By comparison, the average for elementary schools in New Hampshire is 11.0:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at Alton Central School (Elem) is about 15%. That is lower than the 29% average for public schools in Belknap County.
Among New Hampshire public elementary schools, Alton Central School (Elem) outscored 8%, which works out to a D on the allk12 Grade.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Alton Central School (Elem) ranks in the bottom 10% of New Hampshire schools. It scores 37.1%; the prediction is 53.9%.
For the population of Belknap County, the median household earns about $92,783 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 34% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. Alton Central School (Elem) shares Belknap County with 22 other public schools.
Prospect Mountain High School, about 1.1 miles away, is the closest public school. In all, 2 other public schools sit within five miles of Alton Central School (Elem). On state test proficiency, Alton Central School (Elem) ranks 7th in a group of 9 nearby schools.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Town: Distant.
Enrollment decreased 3% over 4 years, reaching 407 in 2024-25.
This page collects posts and questions about Alton Central School (Elem), such as open houses, carpools, and field trips. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Belknap County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
64,659
Census ACS
Median income
$92,783
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
23
7,344 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Nearby schools
- Prospect Mountain High School1.1 mi · 402
- New Durham Elementary School3.3 mi · 144
- Gilmanton Elementary School5.9 mi · 335
- Barnstead Elementary School7.5 mi · 449
- Middleton Elementary School8.0 mi · 155
- Valley View Community School8.3 mi · 245
Frequently asked questions
About Alton Central School (Elem)How large is Alton Central School (Elem)?
Alton Central School (Elem) enrolls approximately 407 students in grades PK-08.
What age range does Alton Central School (Elem) serve?
Alton Central School (Elem) serves students from grade PK through grade 08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alton Central School (Elem)?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Alton Central School (Elem) is approximately 9.3:1 (44 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Alton Central School (Elem)?
At Alton Central School (Elem), the student body is approximately 96% White, 1% Hispanic, 0% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is Alton Central School (Elem) public or private?
Alton Central School (Elem) is a public K-12 school, overseen by Alton School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.