Enrollment
486
New Hampshire · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Portsmouth, NH
Portsmouth Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Portsmouth Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 330582000378
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Portsmouth Middle School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Hampshire median.
- #1 of 6
- public schools in Portsmouth · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.3:1
- students per teacher
- 12.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Portsmouth Middle School has class sizes near the New Hampshire median. Computed live against every New Hampshire school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Portsmouth Middle School ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Portsmouth, NH.
School address
District: Portsmouth School District · New Hampshire
NCES ID 330582000378 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 11.3:1 New Hampshire avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.6%
vs 21.5% New Hampshire avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Portsmouth Middle School compares with New Hampshire and U.S. medians
What stands out at Portsmouth Middle School
Portsmouth Middle School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, enrolling 486 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Hampshire schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 12.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 486 puts it in the larger third of New Hampshire schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 500 scored New Hampshire schools.
Among 140 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Hampshire schools statewide, it ranks #11, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Two or More (11%) (diversity index 42/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 162 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Portsmouth School District also operates Portsmouth High School (1,017 students) and Mary C. Dondero Elementary School (328 students) alongside Portsmouth Middle 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 Portsmouth Middle School compares
Portsmouth Middle 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 | 10.3:1 | ▼ 9% | 11.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.6% | ▼ 41% | 21.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 486 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.3:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
486
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
12.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% below 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
10.3:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 40% in New Hampshire - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.4%
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
$23,187
per pupil, district-wide
- below New Hampshire avg of $28,358
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 162 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 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 74.7%
Two or More 11.1%
Asian 7.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.1%
African American 1.4%
Largest group: White at 74.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.1, Portsmouth Middle School is more mixed than the New Hampshire school average of 24.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Portsmouth School District, which includes Portsmouth Middle School.
$23,187
Per student
-18%
vs New Hampshire
Avg $28,358
+40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 69.8%
State 24.3%
Federal 5.9%
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 Portsmouth Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mary C. Dondero Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Little Harbour School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| New Franklin School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Peep School - Pre School Program | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Portsmouth Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,017
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 328
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 325
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 247
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 24
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar middle 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.
Similar enrollment (~486 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Portsmouth Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Portsmouth Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Portsmouth School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Portsmouth Middle School
How many students attend Portsmouth Middle School?
Portsmouth Middle School has 486 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Portsmouth, NH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Portsmouth Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Portsmouth Middle School is 10.3:1, which is 9% lower than the New Hampshire average of 11.3:1 and 34% 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 Portsmouth Middle School?
12.6% of students at Portsmouth Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Hampshire average of 21.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Portsmouth Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Portsmouth Middle School is White at 74.7% of enrollment, in Portsmouth, NH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Portsmouth Middle School?
Portsmouth Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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 Portsmouth Middle School rank among public schools in Portsmouth?
By Resource Investment Index, Portsmouth Middle School ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Portsmouth, NH. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Portsmouth on the city page.
Is Portsmouth Middle School a good school?
Portsmouth Middle School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Hampshire median. 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 Portsmouth School District?
Besides Portsmouth Middle School, Portsmouth School District also operates Portsmouth High School (1,017 students), Mary C. Dondero Elementary School (328 students), and Little Harbour School (325 students). See the Portsmouth School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.