Elementary school (grades K-5) · Nashua, NH

Birch Hill Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Birch Hill Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 330498000313
0/100100/10037/100
👥 S:T ratio
76
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
34
📋 Attendance
8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Birch Hill Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of New Hampshire schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New Hampshire schools.

#8 of 10
elementary schools in Nashua · Resource Index
37
Resource Index · Typical
6.1:1
small classes for New Hampshire
23.2%
free-lunch eligible

Birch Hill Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 98% of New Hampshire schools. Computed live against every New Hampshire school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Birch Hill Elementary School ranks #8 of 10 elementary schools in Nashua, NH.

Enrollment

332

New Hampshire · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

54.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

6.1:1

vs 11.3:1 New Hampshire avg

-46% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

23.2%

vs 21.5% New Hampshire avg

+8% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Birch Hill Elementary School compares with New Hampshire and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Birch Hill Elementary School

Birch Hill Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Nashua, New Hampshire, enrolling 332 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 6.1:1, Birch Hill Elementary School is leaner than roughly 98% of New Hampshire schools and 46% under the state's 11.3:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 23.2% lands close to the New Hampshire typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

With 332 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Hampshire median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 500 scored New Hampshire schools.

Against 150 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #90.

Its student body is led by White (60%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 59/100).

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 332 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Nashua School District spends $17,617 per pupil, 38% below the New Hampshire average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Among Nashua's elementary schools, it stands alongside Ledge Street School (454 students): Birch Hill Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (6.1:1 vs 10.6:1).

Nashua School District also operates Nashua High School South (1,686 students) and Nashua High School North (1,543 students) alongside Birch Hill Elementary School.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Birch Hill Elementary School compares

Birch Hill Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against New Hampshire and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs New Hampshire New Hampshire avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 6.1:1 ▼ 46% 11.3:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 23.2% ▲ 8% 21.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 332 top 38% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

6.1:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
332
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
23.2%
free-lunch eligible - 8% above the New Hampshire average of 21.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
6.1:1
students per teacher - 46% below state mean
Top 2% in New Hampshire - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
36.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,617
per pupil, district-wide - below New Hampshire avg of $28,358
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 332 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

White 59.6%
Hispanic or Latino 20.5%
Two or More 10.5%
Asian 6.0%
African American 3.3%

Largest group: White at 59.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 58.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 58.7, Birch Hill Elementary School is more mixed than the New Hampshire school average of 24.3.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Nashua School District, which includes Birch Hill Elementary School.

$17,617
Per student
-38%
vs New Hampshire
Avg $28,358
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.0%
State 33.5%
Federal 11.5%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Birch Hill Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Nashua High School South Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Nashua High School North Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Elm Street Middle School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Pennichuck Middle School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Fairgrounds Middle School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Birch Hill Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Nashua School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Nashua

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New Hampshire, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Birch Hill Elementary School's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about Birch Hill Elementary School

How many students attend Birch Hill Elementary School?

Birch Hill Elementary School has 332 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Nashua, NH.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Birch Hill Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Birch Hill Elementary School is 6.1:1, which is 46% lower than the New Hampshire average of 11.3:1 and 61% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Birch Hill Elementary School?

23.2% of students at Birch Hill Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Hampshire average of 21.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Birch Hill Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Birch Hill Elementary School is White at 59.6% of enrollment, in Nashua, NH. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.7/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Birch Hill Elementary School?

Birch Hill Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Birch Hill Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Nashua?

By Resource Investment Index, Birch Hill Elementary School ranks #8 of 10 elementary schools in Nashua, NH. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Nashua on the city page.

Is Birch Hill Elementary School a good school?

Birch Hill Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of New Hampshire schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New Hampshire schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Nashua School District?

Besides Birch Hill Elementary School, Nashua School District also operates Nashua High School South (1,686 students), Nashua High School North (1,543 students), and Elm Street Middle School (874 students). See the Nashua School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.