Enrollment
332
New Hampshire · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Peterborough, NH
South Meadow School
Federal NCES profile for South Meadow School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 330248000073
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 67
📋 Attendance 7
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Meadow School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of New Hampshire schools.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Peterborough · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.5:1
- small classes for New Hampshire
- 18.3%
- free-lunch eligible
South Meadow School has class sizes smaller than 74% of New Hampshire schools. Computed live against every New Hampshire school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, South Meadow School ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Peterborough, NH.
School address
District: Contoocook Valley School District · New Hampshire
NCES ID 330248000073 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.5:1
vs 11.3:1 New Hampshire avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
18.3%
vs 21.5% New Hampshire avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Meadow School compares with New Hampshire and U.S. medians
What stands out at South Meadow School
South Meadow School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Peterborough, New Hampshire, enrolling 332 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Hampshire schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 18.3% 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 sits near the middle of the pack among 500 scored New Hampshire schools.
Against 158 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #69.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 166 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Peterborough's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lionheart Classical Academy Chartered Public School (311 students): South Meadow School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.5:1 vs 28.3:1).
Contoocook Valley School District also operates Conval Regional High School (645 students) and Peterborough Elementary School (254 students) alongside South Meadow 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 South Meadow School compares
South Meadow 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 | 9.5:1 | ▼ 16% | 11.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 18.3% | ▼ 15% | 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
9.5:1
Leaner classes than 91% 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
18.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
9.5:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 26% in New Hampshire - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
37.3%
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
$24,694
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 166 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.7 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 90.7%
Hispanic or Latino 4.2%
Two or More 2.1%
African American 1.5%
Asian 1.5%
Largest group: White at 90.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.5, South Meadow School is less mixed than the New Hampshire school average of 24.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Contoocook Valley School District, which includes South Meadow School.
$24,694
Per student
-13%
vs New Hampshire
Avg $28,358
+49%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 67.0%
State 25.1%
Federal 7.9%
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 South Meadow School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conval Regional High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Peterborough Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Great Brook School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Antrim Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Greenfield Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Meadow School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 645
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 254
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 224
- Students per teacher
- 8.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 133
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 91
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar elementary schools in Peterborough
1 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.
Similar enrollment (~332 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Meadow School's federal record.
- Compare South Meadow School against another school. Compare schools
- Contoocook Valley 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 South Meadow School
How many students attend South Meadow School?
South Meadow School has 332 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Peterborough, NH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Meadow School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Meadow School is 9.5:1, which is 16% lower than the New Hampshire average of 11.3:1 and 39% 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 South Meadow School?
18.3% of students at South Meadow School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Hampshire average of 21.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Meadow School?
The largest demographic group at South Meadow School is White at 90.7% of enrollment, in Peterborough, NH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Meadow School?
South Meadow School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 South Meadow School rank among public schools in Peterborough?
By Resource Investment Index, South Meadow School ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Peterborough, 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 Peterborough on the city page.
Is South Meadow School a good school?
South Meadow School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of 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 Contoocook Valley School District?
Besides South Meadow School, Contoocook Valley School District also operates Conval Regional High School (645 students), Peterborough Elementary School (254 students), and Great Brook School (224 students). See the Contoocook Valley School District district page for the complete list.
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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.