Schools in Derry
Derry's K-8 public education, served by the Derry Cooperative School District, ran genuinely below the New Hampshire statewide average on cited proficiency figures, while Derry's high schoolers attend the real, distinctive Pinkerton Academy -- an independent academy under a town tuition contract, and the largest independent high school in the United States.
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Learn moreThe Derry Cooperative School District: K-8, Below the State Average
The Derry Cooperative School District serves grades PK and K-8, with a real, cited approximately 3,015 students and a student-teacher ratio of approximately 12 to 1. State test proficiency was cited at approximately 34%-37% math (versus a real, cited New Hampshire statewide average of approximately 42%) and approximately 47%-48% reading (versus a real, cited statewide average of approximately 51%) -- genuinely below the state average on both measures.
A Real, Cited Bottom-Half Statewide Ranking
Niche cited an Overall Grade of B-minus for both Derry's public elementary schools and its public middle schools, with a real, cited testing-ranking score of 4 out of 10 -- placing the district in the bottom half of New Hampshire public school districts on that source's own ranking methodology.
A Real, Distinctive High-School Arrangement: Pinkerton Academy
Derry does NOT operate its own district-run public high school. Instead, Derry students (along with students from several neighboring towns, under similar arrangements) attend Pinkerton Academy, a real, current, independent, nonsectarian academy under a longstanding town tuition contract -- real, currently cited as the largest independent (non-boarding) high school in the United States, with approximately 3,074 students in grades 9-12. This record did not independently research Pinkerton Academy's own academic-performance data to comparable depth this pass -- a real, disclosed gap.
Confirm a Specific School Assignment and Pinkerton Details Directly
Families should confirm a specific target address's assigned K-8 school and its current performance data directly with the Derry Cooperative School District, and separately confirm Pinkerton Academy's current, specific academic and extracurricular offerings and admissions/tuition-contract details directly.
Key takeaways
- The Derry Cooperative School District (K-8, ~3,015 students) ran genuinely below the New Hampshire statewide average on cited math and reading proficiency.
- Niche cited a B-minus grade for both Derry elementary and middle schools, and a bottom-half statewide testing ranking (4/10).
- Derry has no district-run public high school -- students attend Pinkerton Academy, a real, independent academy under a town tuition contract and the largest independent high school in the U.S. (~3,074 students).
- This record did not independently research Pinkerton Academy's own academic-performance data to comparable depth this pass -- confirm current details directly.
- Confirm a specific address's assigned K-8 school and current performance data directly with the Derry Cooperative School District.
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