MANCHESTER, N.H.- Spring assessment results show Manchester students demonstrating college and career readiness has soared from just 30% from 2019 to more than 78% in 2025, surpassing the district’s strategic plan goal of 76%.
Each student must achieve two readiness markers to be considered college and career ready, including completion of a CTE program, industry-recognized credentials completion, achieving a level 3 or higher on the ASVAB, completion of an approved apprenticeship, or scoring well on the SAT or AP tests.
“We are continuing as a team to look at moving that number to eclipse 80%,” said Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Chmiel. Achieving a college and career readiness score of 80% or higher would move the district into a level 4 tier, the highest level of performance.
Each year, New Hampshire public schools are required by state law (RSA 193-C) and federal accountability law (Every Student Succeeds Act) to test students using a standardized assessment. Grades 3-8 are tested in English Language Arts and Math, 5-8 and 11 grade students are tested in science and 11 graders take the SAT.
ESSA also requires an annual English language proficiency assessment, which is fulfilled with the WIDA ACCESS test. 11 schools in the district saw growth in English language development with six showing more than 10% growth from 2024, including Beech, Central, Jewett, McDonough, Memorial and Southside. The program is the first of its kind for the district, spearheaded by executive director of multilingual learning Wendy Perron.
“I was jumping up and down in my office,” said Perron. “This is a reflection of the investment… in our ELD curriculum and the hard work of the talented teachers who have worked to align that curriculum. And this was just year one.”
More than 11,800 students are enrolled in the Manchester School District. ESSA mandates that at least 95% of all students are assessed annually. In Manchester, participation rates increased in ELA, math and science from 2024 which helps improve overall data quality and accuracy.
“The results provide teachers with valuable information to guide future instruction,” said Nicole Doherty, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching, Learning & Leading.
Participation rates have also increased by several percentage points over the past decade. In the 2014-15 school year, 80% of students took part in ELA testing as part of the Smarter Balanced Assessment, used at the time to track student progress, versus the 96% participation rate seen by the district in 2025. It’s a similar picture when it comes to math scores, with 97% student participation in 2025, versus 79% in 2014-15.
“At the bottom of every single one of these numbers is a human who’s trying to show their depth of knowledge,” says Dr. Chmiel “it’s our responsibility to keep finding ways for them to be able to show that.”
The data translates into real world success for Manchester students. The drop-out rate has decreased nearly 3% since 2023 district-wide, while the four year graduation rate has increased by more than 2%. Manchester West High School saw the biggest increase in four-year graduations from 2023 at 8.4%.
“None of this happens alone,” said Doherty, “This work is a collective effort driven by the leadership of our full team including district and building level leaders, teachers and staff all working to leverage the highest learning outcomes for our students. We know it takes a pull by every person connected to a student, from school staff to home, community and most important the student themself.”
Moving forward, the district hopes to focus on finding solutions to chronic absenteeism, supporting students academically and behaviorally and continuing to educate students, staff and families on the importance of assessments.
The next round of state testing begins with the NH ACCESS exams in January through March of 2026 for English Language Learners, followed by the statewide assessment system for students in grades 3-8 and 11 from the end of March through May.
For more information on assessment data, visit the state department of education website here.