grade-shift
Kindergarten Hits a Record Low, and the Pipeline Has No Fix
NH kindergarten enrollment fell to 10,727 in 2025-26, the lowest non-COVID year on record. The private-school buffer that once padded first grade is fading.
New Hampshire Education News & Data
demographics
NH Pre-K Enrollment Up 39% as K-12 Shrinks
New Hampshire added 1,230 pre-K students since 2012 even as the state lost 30,483 K-12 students. But growth has stalled, and half of districts still offer no program.
district-spotlight
Farmington Has Lost Half Its Students
Farmington's enrollment fell from 1,379 to 698 in 14 years, the steepest decline among mid-size NH districts, raising viability questions.
governance
One in Five NH Districts Has Fewer Than 100 Students
New Hampshire has 44 districts with fewer than 100 students, yet those districts serve just 1.5% of enrollment. A look at the state's extreme fragmentation.
district-spotlight
Berlin Has Lost Students Every Year for 14 Years
Berlin has declined every year since 2011-12, the longest unbroken streak in New Hampshire, and now enrolls fewer than 1,000 students.
enrollment
Only 21 Traditional Districts Are Growing
Of 173 traditional public school districts in New Hampshire, 148 have lost students since 2012. The 21 that gained added just 895 students combined.
district-spotlight
Concord Lost One in Five Students Since 2012
New Hampshire's capital city has shed 1,087 students over 15 years, declining in 13 of 14 years. The state's seat of government is shrinking faster than the state itself.
virtual-schools
VLACS Grew 756% While NH Lost 30,000 Students
New Hampshire's virtual charter school grew from 63 to 539 full-time students in 14 years, even as statewide enrollment fell 16%.
enrollment
86 NH Districts Hit Record Lows
Nearly half of New Hampshire's school districts are at their lowest enrollment ever recorded, including all 10 of the state's largest.
district-spotlight
Nashua Falls Below 10,000 Students
NH's second-largest district dropped below 10,000 students in 2023 and kept falling, losing 20% of enrollment since 2012 as COVID accelerated the decline.
covid-impact
COVID Erased Four Years of Decline in a Single Year
New Hampshire lost 8,259 public school students in the 2020-21 COVID year, nearly three times the next-largest annual drop. Five years later, three in four districts have not recovered.
school-choice
NH Charter Enrollment Grows 469% in 15 Years
NH charter schools grew from 10 schools and 1,097 students to 35 schools and 6,242 since 2012. Traditional districts lost 35,628 students.
district-spotlight
Manchester Has Lost Nearly a Quarter of Its Students
New Hampshire's largest district fell from 15,536 to 11,712 students over 14 years, closing schools as per-pupil costs soar.
enrollment
No State Shrank Faster Than New Hampshire
NH public schools shed 30,483 students since 2012, a 16% decline. The Josiah Bartlett Center ranks it as the steepest percentage drop in the nation.
enrollment
New Hampshire Publishes 2025-26 Enrollment Data
NH DOE releases 2025-26 enrollment data showing 160,322 students statewide, down 2,337 from the prior year.