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We moved from Mass to NH and we feels the school system is not as good. We are disappointed. We have family members who teach in MA and they feel the work our child gets is substandard. The areas you mentioned in MA such as Acton area have very excellent school systems. You may want to research further. Nashua is big now and has become a huge city. When I lived there as a child it was a sleepy little town. Do your homework before you decide.
The best schools in NH are comparable to the best schools in MA. The less affluent towns in NH have, by and large, worse schools than comparable towns in MA because the State of MA supports all schools and there is effectively no state support in NH. Like most things you get what you pay for and paying more buys better schools.
I do not think any school can control bullies. There are too many opportunities for a bully to harm other children. I was bullied in high school and when I reported it I was bullied worse and the bullies were not even scolded. Next time I was ready for them and put a couple in the hospital. Bullying stopped. I was punished by the authorities but satisfied with being able to go to school peacefully after the incident.
Teach your kids how and when to fight their own battles and the bullies will leave them alone. Bullies attack the helpless not the kids ready to fight. I think one of the major failures in modern schooling is teaching kids to take the bullying instead of fighting back. That only makes for compliant victims and happy bullies.
I've lived in both MA and NH. Based on my daughters education (she's 19 now) I think the schools in MA are far better than in NH, although it does really depend on where you are living. Honestly, you probably won't be able to tell until your child gets into the school system. No matter what town you move to the people in that town are probably going to tell you that they have a great school system because they don't have anything to compare it to. Just my opinion....
I grew up in Boston, lived there for decades and then moved to NH 12 years ago. I have three kids in the NH schools - a junior in high school, a freshman in high school, and a 6th grader. I am a big fan of the school system my kids are in. Almost everyone in my town (Amherst) sends their kids to the public school. I have friends and relatives in MA and most of them send their kids to private school, usually starting in 7th grade or high school. Their towns include Walpole, Swampscott, Hanover, Hull.
Maybe someone can clarify the difference for me. When I researched expenditures per student, most MA schools spend between $6,000 - 10,000 per student.
When looking at NH schools, most of the towns (with the "better" school systems) were telling me between $500 - 900 per student.
How could it be so different?? I'm sure these numbers would have an impact on the quality of education the children receive, would it not?
You have to understand that throwing money at a school doesn't necessarily make for a good education. If it did, MD schools would be so much better than they are! Unfortunately, when you feel there's a probelm and a school isn't meeting the necessary standards, most people's reaction is to provide more funding. That's great, and sure it can help a lot.. IF the teachers, parents and students are all motivated to learn!
Some towns in NH give a lot of money to the schools and have great standards, but it isn't a given that more money spent leads to better grades.
Wanna makes exactly the point I was about to make. Throwing money at a school district doesn't always improve it, but it always makes it more expensive and in many cases, sadly more wasteful. NH & MA are very different places, and the longer I'm here in NH the more I realize how town-specific the schools are, regardless of state mandates(which I'm guessing MA has more of, but not sure). If you have towns narrowed down in both MA & NH, call the schools and ask all the q's you have. Every single one. You'll want to be sure that you find a school that suits your child's particular needs and has a culture you are comfortable with. It's a tough decision, and a lot more detailed than $$ alone. Best of luck to you!
I lived in Nashua during my high school years (before they built the two new High Schools). If you look in Nashua, try to stay more North and West as the schools tend to be a bit better. Merrimack, NH is MUCH better than Nashua, but both are very good. I took a LOT of science and many of the teachers I had were very passionate about their subjects. I would NOT suggest living in MA if you work in NH....Tax-wise, that's not very smart. Property taxes tend to be higher than in MA, but you don't pay income tax or sales tax.
greatschools.org rates schools. Bow rates very high.
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