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Portsmouth, New Hampshire - 6 schools
An equity score of 50/100 ranks Portsmouth School District #59 of 114 districts in New Hampshire (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $23,187 per pupil, Portsmouth School District ranks #98 of 161 New Hampshire districts by per-pupil spending (New Hampshire districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,490
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$23,187
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Portsmouth School District operates 6 public schools serving 2,490 students, placing it among the smallest districts in New Hampshire. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Rockingham County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $23,187 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 161 New Hampshire districts by per-pupil spending. See how New Hampshire compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 69.8% local, 24.3% state, and 5.9% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 50/100, ranked #59 of 114 in New Hampshire against a state average of 51, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (10 AP courses district-wide), a 180.6:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 29.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 77.4% White, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 6.1% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Mary C. Dondero Elementary School, with a diversity index of 47.2/100.
Its largest campus is Portsmouth High School, enrolling 1,017 students (42% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Peep School - Pre School Program, at 24 students, a 42x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Portsmouth High School accounts for 40.8% of all Portsmouth School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Portsmouth School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Portsmouth School District school enrollment varies 42× across entities
Portsmouth School District school enrollment ranges from 24 students (lowest) to 1,017 students (highest), a spread of 993 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Portsmouth School District student-counselor ratio is 181:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Portsmouth School District chronic absenteeism rate is 29.9% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Portsmouth School District is typically wider than the Portsmouth School District-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Portsmouth School District?
Portsmouth School District has 6 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 3 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 2,490 students.
How much does Portsmouth School District spend per student?
Portsmouth School District spends $23,187 per student. The district has an equity score of 50/100, ranking #59 in New Hampshire.
What is the demographic composition of Portsmouth School District?
Portsmouth School District students are 77.4% White, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 6.1% Asian, 1.9% African American, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Portsmouth School District?
Portsmouth School District has an equity score of 50/100, ranking #59 out of 114 districts in New Hampshire.