Public Education in New Hampshire- 

 An Economic Appraisal 



By HAROLD C. GRINNELL 



The Situation 



TN 1961-62 there were 230 school districts maintaining 478 schools as 

 compared with 585 in 1950-51 (Tahle 1). Most of this decline is the 

 result of a decrease in the niimher of one-room elementary schools. 

 There were only eight one-room schools offering instruction in as many 

 as six to eight grades in 1961-62, hut there were 27 with fewer than six 

 grades, or a total of 35 one-room schools still in operation. Thirteen dis- 

 tricts, however, maintain no schools, and send more than 350 pupils to 

 other districts for hoth elementary and secondary education. In 1961-62 

 there were 56 senior high schools, a reduction of seven since 1957-58. 

 Junior high schools have heen on the increase since 1955-56 when there 

 were only ten — now 17. The comhined junior-senior high schools in- 

 creased from 18 to 22 during the same period. 



There appears to be general agreement among professional edu- 

 cators that a secondary school, grades 9-12, should have at least 300 

 pupils for an effective and efficient comprehensive program. In New 

 Hampshire 31 of the 86 secondary schools had an enrollment in excess of 

 300 in grades 9-12 (Tahle 2). These 31, however, accommodated 75 

 percent of all the pupils above the eighth grade. 



New Hampshire is the only state in New England which does not 

 have a broad base tax, and consequently depends on the local property 

 tax for the support of public education to a greater extent than other 

 New England states. The following comparison of the New England 

 states with respect to federal, state and local support in 1960 was taken 

 from the final report of the Interim Commission on Education to the 

 state legislature: 



State Federal Aid State Aid Local Tax 



(Each Source as Percentage of Total) 



Percent Percent Percent 



Connecticut 3.1 34.6 62.3 



Rhode Island 6.5 23.2 70.3 



Massachusetts 5.3 19.9 74.8 



Maine 5.9 25.8 68.3 



Vermont 3.1 24.8 72.1 



New Hampshire 5.0 5.6 89.4 



