Public schools in MA vs. NH? - no flames please, this is for real (Salem: best school districts)

[maestramommy]

Is there anyone here who has live in both places that can tell me your opinions on the subject? Dh is interviewing with a company in Manchester. We were thinking ideally of living in MA, looking at Chelmsford, Acton, or Westford, and Dh commuting to Manchester. It looks like a 45 minute commute, which by L.A standards (where we're from) is on the shorter side. However, with the price of gas being what it is, we are also looking at living around Nashua. But we really don't know anything about schools in NH. On the one site where I've been able to see ranking of schools across states, MA usually comes out on top, with NH a few spots lower, depending on the parameters.

When I searched threads or inquired about schools on this forum the reply I got was that the range is narrower than in CA. Meaning the best schools aren't THAT amazing, and the worst schools aren't THAT bad. So no matter where we go, odds are the schools will be very good. Do NH schools stack up similarly? I realize coming from CA almost anywhere our there will be a jump up. And maybe I should state for the record we aren't looking for amazing schools. But since we may have the liberty of choosing, we'd like to live where the schools are better. Are MA schools that much better than NH?

fyi: this question is also posted in the NH forum.

[MovingForward]

I don't think it's possible to state that the public schools in one state are better than in the other. It really depends on where you live. Acton, for example, has a superb school system. And my understanding is that Westford's is good, as well. I don't believe that Nashua's or Manchester's school system even comes close. On the other hand, the school systems in Windham or Bedford or Amherst, NH are excellent.

[Irena.M]

There is nothing wrong with NH. My parents live in Salem and my sister is currently in the HS and she is on the honor roll as well as most of the kids from her school. They study just as hard as kids in MA, and they have plenty of after school activities and clubs for the kids.
What makes Acton that special anyways? (tax overrides every year?)
I live in Acton and am not impressed with the district ( do not take this the wrong way) but I do not think that Acton is that special.
It is the parent that pushes the child beyond mediocrity, no matter where they are.

[maestramommy]

Acton is on our list because we have family there. Also when I looked on greatschools Acton came up as well as Westford.

[jayrandom]

The general rule is that the variation within states is bigger than the variation between states. The best school in the worst state is usually better than the worst school in the best state. I'm sure you can ask around in the NH forums to find the best school districts in that state.
At some level, though, it's impossible to assign a rank order to anything as complex as an education system and have that order mean anything, so don't get too concerned about whether the best district in NH is better than the best in MA.

[CaseyB]

Bedford, NH has a very good district. I believe they just built a new high school. The Londonderry schools are supposed to be good, not too sure about the ones in Derry anymore. I believe the schools in Amherst are good as well. Actually, for the $$$ you would save by living in New Hampshire, you could probably send your kids to private school.

[maestramommy]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

Bedford, NH has a very good district. I believe they just built a new high school. The Londonderry schools are supposed to be good, not too sure about the ones in Derry anymore. I believe the schools in Amherst are good as well. Actually, for the $$$ you would save by living in New Hampshire, you could probably send your kids to private school.

Possibly, but we really want to stick to public school. It's the way we grew up, so that is our preference.