What towns near Lebanon/Hanover to consider for parent with middle school kid (Derry: best town)

[NorthBound700]

Hi, I have a job offer near Lebanon but it would be a big move. I have a 7th grader who is very active in sports but struggles greatly academically. We are nice, down to earth, liberal, open-minded folks who love the outdoors and recreation. I am in great need of advice. I am interested to learn about any towns within commuting distance to Lebanon where the people are friendly, the middle and high schools are very good with programs for struggling readers and where there are good recreational sports opportunities. I am sure the readers of these posts are busy but you can be sure that ANY information you share will be greatly appreciated.

[itsjustme64]

The upper valley is very liberal. If you can afford to live in Hanover, you'll be all set.

[Verseau]

The schools in Hanover and Lebanon both get very good marks (particularly Hanover). I'm not sure, but I'd be surprised if they didn't have a program for struggling readers.

I think any of the other school districts within commuting distance would probably be a step down from Hanover or Lebanon.

[buck naked]

good luck - some schools are messed up in that if your child struggles with english, he may not be allowed to participate in sports or other class events

my youngest son is deaf and he attended Pinkerton Academy (that's located in Derry, a southern town) - he struggled with english and had to do summer school all 4 years - no clubs, no sports, no class trips
- they pointed out once at an IEP meeting that he did not participate in sports, etc. - I pointed out that was because of the school rules.....duh!......they really didn't know it was their own policies that prevented him from being part of the class.

[nhplanner]

Hanover has one of the best school districts (Dresden) in the State. I believe Dresden is New Hampshire's only inter-state school district which is shared with Norwich, Vermont. Lyme, NH, which is a much smaller town also sends kids in the upper grades to Dresden.

[notdancingqueen]

Hanover has a rep for being an excellent district with high snob-factor due to its proximity to and population of Dartmouth professors. It is also very expensive, even for NH. 3BR 2 BA houses are upper 400s minimum...more like $500-550k, even in this market (which is actually getting better in the Dartmouth/Sunapee area, at least).

The Kearsarge district is great, too, and many parts of it are commutable to Lebanon and Hanover (20-30 minutes). Watch your times on the bus to the middle and high school - can be anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 minutes (maybe even longer?) depending on where in the district you live.

Lebanon schools have a fabulous music program from what I can tell.

People have said good things about Sunapee, too, but that's word of mouth third and forth-hand -- I can't confirm.

[Jim McNamara]

The village of Meriden is 8 miles south of Lebanon on NH120 and is the home of Kimball Union Academy that takes students in grades 9-12. It isn't cheap, but day students do enjoy a cost advantage over boarding students.

I was once told by a former postmaster of the village that it was the best town in which to raise a family. My parents no doubt agreed with him - with the exception of the war years, my father lived there from the time he was 3 until he died, and my mother was born there and died there.

If you haven't guessed, it's my hometown, too, and while I no longer live there, it's a special place to me.