Best Schools in Derry, New Hampshire

Derry's public school landscape covers 10 ranked schools across elementary, middle, and high school levels, with an average score of 6.3 out of 10. The spread matters more than the average: only 2 of those 10 schools — 20% — score 7 or above, meaning most families in their default attendance zone will land at or near the city mean. Parents researching Derry should pay close attention to which school their address maps to, since performance varies meaningfully from one building to the next.

At the top of the city, Next Charter School leads with a score of 8.1 — the highest-rated school in Derry and a strong option for families who can access it. Derry Village School follows at 7.9, making it one of the stronger elementary programs in the area. These two schools account for both of Derry's 7+ scorers and represent the ceiling of what the city's ranked public options currently offer.

The middle tier holds together at 6.7. Gilbert H. Hood Middle School scores there, and both South Range Elementary and East Derry Memorial Elementary match it exactly. That consistency is practical news for parents: three schools clustered in the 6.6–6.7 range gives the city a dependable, if unspectacular, middle band. The remaining five ranked schools pull below the 6.3 city average, anchoring the lower end of the local range.

For parents making a housing or enrollment decision in Derry, the calculus is clear. If academic performance is the top priority, position for access to Next Charter School or Derry Village School — they outperform the rest of the city by a meaningful margin. Families zoned to the mid-tier elementaries get schools near the city average, which is workable but leaves room to improve. With 80% of Derry's ranked schools scoring below 7, zoning research is not optional — it is the most important step before signing a lease or closing on a home.