Best public high schools in New Hampshire

As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a '96 commencement address at Wellesley College, "Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." If that's the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.

It's a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.6 million students enrolled in public pre-K-12 schools in fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.

For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.

Stacker compiled a list of the best public high schools in New Hampshire using 2027 rankings from Niche. Niche uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students. You can read more about Niche's methodology here.

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#24. Bow High School

- Location: Bow School District, NH
- Enrollment: 622 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#23. Dover Senior High School

- Location: Dover School District, NH
- Enrollment: 1,371 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#22. Salem High School

- Location: Salem School District, NH
- Enrollment: 1,116 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#21. Arts Academy of New Hampshire

- Location: Salem, NH
- Enrollment: 106 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#20. Lisbon Regional High School

- Location: Lisbon Regional School District, NH
- Enrollment: 84 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#19. Hopkinton High School

- Location: Hopkinton School District, NH
- Enrollment: 284 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#18. Newmarket Senior High School

- Location: Newmarket School District, NH
- Enrollment: 274 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#17. Sunapee Senior High School

- Location: Sunapee School District, NH
- Enrollment: 131 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#16. Goffstown High School

- Location: Goffstown School District, NH
- Enrollment: 1,008 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#15. Londonderry Senior High School

- Location: Londonderry School District, NH
- Enrollment: 1,289 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#14. Exeter High School

- Location: Exeter Region Cooperative School District, NH
- Enrollment: 1,348 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#13. Profile Senior High School

- Location: Profile School District, NH
- Enrollment: 133 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#12. Nashua High School South

- Location: Nashua School District, NH
- Enrollment: 1,686 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#11. Moultonborough Academy High School

- Location: Moultonborough School District, NH
- Enrollment: 137 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#10. Lebanon High School

- Location: Lebanon School District, NH
- Enrollment: 606 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#9. Souhegan Cooperative High School

- Location: Amherst, NH
- Enrollment: 696 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#8. Windham High School

- Location: Windham School District, NH
- Enrollment: 945 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#7. Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies Charter School

- Location: Manchester, NH
- Enrollment: 96 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#6. Hollis-Brookline High School

- Location: Hollis/Brookline Cooperative School District, NH
- Enrollment: 745 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#5. Bedford High School

- Location: Bedford School District, NH
- Enrollment: 1,360 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#4. Portsmouth High School

- Location: Portsmouth School District, NH
- Enrollment: 1,017 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#3. Coe-Brown Northwood Academy

- Location: Northwood, NH
- Enrollment: 643 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A