Public education
Will the NH Supreme Court uphold the Clarement school funding decision?
NH’s system of funding public schools is more dependent on local property values than any other funding system in the nation, by a lot. The over-dependence on local property values means school taxes vary widely across the state. The lower local property values, the higher school taxes must be to raise money for schools.
Over the last 33 years since the Claremont decision requiring the state to adequately support public education, a dozen members of the NH Supreme Court have ruled in favor of school districts, children and taxpayers concluding that, in one way or another, NH’s school funding system is unfair. Five of the twelve were Republicans. However, the efforts to overturn the ruling continue.
The current effort to overturn the Claremont ruling, the Rand case, is complicated by the recent scandal rocking the NH Supreme Court. See Andru Volinsky's article here.
A new amicus brief has been filed in the Rand case. See Garry Rayno's article here.
EFA students in Monadnock region
--by Noah Diedrich, Sep 10, Keene Sentinel
The Monadnock Region has 1,353 students approved for an EFA as of midday September 8, accounting for roughly 10 percent of the statewide total, per the ScholaVia dashboard.
There are 252 students in Rindge using EFAs, followed by 143 students in Keene. The graphic displayed with the article shows the number of EFA students in each town.
See the complete article here.
NH Teacher hiring and retention challenges
--Noah Deidrich The Keene Sentinel Oct 13
An aging workforce and low pay are among the factors that might make it more difficult for New Hampshire schools to attract and retain teachers, a nonpartisan research nonprofit recently found.
From 2024 to 2034, more than 1,100 teaching vacancies are projected to occur annually in Granite State schools, according to a new study by the N.H. Fiscal Policy Institute. Almost all of those openings are projected to arise from educators retiring or changing careers.
See the full article here.
EFA students using public school resource
--Ethan DeWitt The Keene Sentinel Oct 12
Beginning this school year, education freedom account recipients will be allowed to take classes, join sports teams, and participate in clubs and extracurriculars at their resident public school district — without paying extra.
The change, brought about with the passage of House Bill 1817, was hailed by school choice supporters as a way to empower EFA students and denounced by public school advocates as a mechanism that would force schools to provide services without reimbursement.
Read the full article here.
What Does the State Really Pay for Public Education
--Garry Rayno, InDepthNH.org, July 25,
New Hampshire state provides 63% more funding for students with Education Freedom Accounts than for students at traditional public schools. It provides three times the funding for students in charter public schools, compared to those in traditional public schools. New Hampshire state government funds three types of education: - Traditional public schools are open to any student who lives in that school district. These schools must follow regulations and meet performance standards defined by the state. (The current Republican-controlled legislature is pushing for open enrollment, which would allow students to enroll in schools outside of their current school district.) - Public charter schools are open to any student who lives in NH, regardless of their school district. Students are required to take standardized tests but otherwise these schools operate independently of state regulations. - Education Freedom Account is a program that subsidizes NH students who are attending private schools or are homeschooled. Like public charter schools, EFA students are required to take standardized tests but otherwise these schools operate independently of state regulations. The public education system is largely funded by local and state property taxes, along with about a 20 percent contribution from the state and less than 8 percent from the federal government. Both the charter school program and EFA program are funded solely by the state through the Education Trust Fund. A percent of state business, rooms and meals, tobacco, and real estate transfer taxes, video lottery terminals and the other category go into the Education Trust Fund, as does all the revenue generated by Lottery Commission, utility property tax and the tobacco settlement money. According to Garry Rayno: - A student at a traditional public school receives $3,047 in state funding. (The remainder is paid by local taxpayers.) - A student with an EFA reeives $4,963 in state funding. - A student in a public charter school receives $9,086 in state funding.
Property Taxpayers Fund More than Seven in Ten Dollars Spent on New Hampshire Public Education
--Ben Reynolds, NHFPI, August 5, 2026
Property taxpayers now fund more than seven out of every ten dollars spent on New Hampshire’s public schools, while New Hampshire ranks last in the nation for the share of public education revenue provided through State funding, according to a new analysis from the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute. NHFPI Senior Policy Analyst Ben Reynolds examined State Fiscal Year 2027 education aid estimates and other publicly available State and federal data to examine how New Hampshire’s education funding formula distributes aid among municipalities. The analysis focuses on the roles of student enrollment, student needs, local property wealth, and the Statewide Education Property Tax, while also examining long-term trends in how public education is financed in New Hampshire.
Visit In Depth NH for the complete article..