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Does Merrimack Valley High School have enough mental health and stress support?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
744
High
DISTRICT 310 · STATE 496
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MERRIMACK VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 330476000284
Merrimack Valley High School
106 Village St., Penacook, NH 03303 · (603) 753-4311 · Merrimack County
GRADES 09–12HIGH31-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL744 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 71% of New Hampshire public high schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats 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 high schools
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
54 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.6:1 · STATE 11.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
24%
179 students
DISTRICT 28% · STATE 26%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 187 | 25% |
| Grade 10 | 166 | 22% |
| Grade 11 | 191 | 26% |
| Grade 12 | 200 | 27% |
Student demographics
17%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 20% · 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
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Merrimack Valley School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NHSAS 2024-25 . % Above ProficientEnglish Language Arts
71.0%
NH avg 55.2%
Math
27.0%
NH avg 43.0%
What this means: On the NHSAS, New Hampshire's statewide test, about 71 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 27 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
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
48.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.0%
based on NH schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 48% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% typical for New Hampshire schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among New Hampshire's top nor bottom 10%.
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 Merrimack Valley High School
Merrimack Valley High School's state test result (48.0% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merrimack Valley High School this school | 744 | 24.1% | 48.0% |
| Pembroke Academy Pembroke | 744 | 24.7% | 39.0% |
| Conval Regional High School Peterborough | 645 | 22.8% | 36.3% |
| Kingswood Regional High School Wolfeboro | 729 | 26.6% | 42.3% |
| Plymouth Regional High School Plymouth | 651 | 20.4% | 56.0% |
| Kennett High School North Conway | 642 | 27.1% | 36.0% |
Matched among New Hampshire high 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 Merrimack Valley High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In New Hampshire | In Merrimack County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 48.0% | #21 of 78 | #3 of 8 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 27.0% | #36 of 74 | #5 of 7 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 71.0% | #20 of 78 | #3 of 8 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 744 | #24 of 103 | #2 of 12 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.8:1 | #59 of 68 | #6 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 17.2% | #45 of 68 | #5 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 24.1% | #34 of 80 | #5 of 8 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -10.6% | #29 of 60 | #2 of 6 |
Ranked against other public high 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
744
-25 (-3%) vs 2020
+21% since 1990-91, when it was 615
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
was 13.3:1
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 | 744 | 53.8 | 13.8:1 | 24% (179) |
| 2023-24 | 756 | 54 | 14.0:1 | 23% (172) |
| 2022-23 | 784 | 56 | 14.0:1 | 25% (196) |
| 2020-21 | 769 | 58 | 13.3:1 | 10% (78) |
| 2017-18 | 832 | 56 | 14.9:1 | 24% (198) |
| 2015-16 | 845 | 53 | 15.9:1 | 27% (225) |
| 2010-11 | 887 | 57 | 15.6:1 | 22% (196) |
| 2000-01 | 873 | 55 | 15.9:1 | 10% (86) |
| 1990-91 | 615 | 40 | 15.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Merrimack Valley High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 11% (832 to 744); teachers down 4% (56 to 53.8).
About Merrimack Valley High School
Merrimack Valley High School is a large high school with its address in Penacook, New Hampshire. Enrollment in 2024-25 was 744 students in grades 9 through 12. The average for high schools in New Hampshire is about 496 students, so this school is 50% bigger than average.
The district for Merrimack Valley High School is Merrimack Valley School District, with 7 schools and 2,170 students.
Merrimack Valley High School's enrollment is 91% White. The remaining shares are 3% Hispanic, 3% multiracial, and 2% Black. County-wide, about 91% of residents are White. Pick two students at random and there is a 17% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Its 53.8 full-time-equivalent teachers give the school a ratio of 13.8:1. The school has more students per teacher than the 11.2:1 average for high schools in New Hampshire. The school's lunch program data list 24% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. For comparison, public schools in Merrimack County average 25%.
The allk12 Grade for Merrimack Valley High School is B+. Compared with New Hampshire public high schools, the school scored higher than 71% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Compared with New Hampshire schools that have similar shares of low-income students, Merrimack Valley High School's results are within a point of predicted: 48.0% against 48.0%.
Merrimack County has about 155,967 residents, and the median household income is $97,004, about 39% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 4%. In all, Merrimack County has 61 public schools and roughly 17,429 students.
The shortest distance from Merrimack Valley High School to another public school is about 0.1 miles, to Merrimack Valley Middle School. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Among the 6 closest schools with test data, this one included, Merrimack Valley High School ranks 3rd on average proficiency.
NCES lists the school's locale as Town: Fringe. That means it sits in a town close to an urbanized area.
Over 4 years, Merrimack Valley High School's enrollment declined 3%, to 744.
Discussion on this page can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Merrimack County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
155,967
Census ACS
Median income
$97,004
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
39%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
61
17,429 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Merrimack Valley School District
- Merrimack Valley Middle SchoolMiddle · 466 students
- Penacook Elementary SchoolElementary · 325 students
- Loudon Elementary SchoolElementary · 243 students
- Boscawen Elementary SchoolElementary · 240 students
- Webster Elementary SchoolElementary · 88 students
- Salisbury Elementary SchoolElementary · 64 students
Other schools in Penacook
- Merrimack Valley Middle SchoolMiddle · 466 students
- Penacook Elementary SchoolElementary · 325 students
- CSI Charter SchoolHigh · 34 students
Nearby schools
- Merrimack Valley Middle School0.1 mi · 466
- Penacook Elementary School0.3 mi · 325
- CSI Charter School0.6 mi · 34
- Beaver Meadow School1.9 mi · 362
- Boscawen Elementary School2.1 mi · 240
- Synergy Academy Chartered Public School3.8 mi · 21
Frequently asked questions
About Merrimack Valley High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Merrimack Valley High School?
Merrimack Valley High School enrolls approximately 744 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Merrimack Valley High School serve?
Merrimack Valley High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Merrimack Valley High School?
Approximately 13.8:1 students per teacher at Merrimack Valley High School.
What is the student diversity at Merrimack Valley High School?
Student demographics at Merrimack Valley High School are roughly 91% White, 3% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees Merrimack Valley High School?
Merrimack Valley High School is overseen by Merrimack Valley School District in Merrimack County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.