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School and District Profiles - Glossary of Terms

The New Hampshire Department of Education collects a variety of data from schools, districts and school administrative units (SAUs) in the state. Much of the information collected is published in the School and District Profiles. The data reports provide statewide data for all schools and districts and can be sorted and/or exported. A "profile" is a snapshot of the data for a specific school or district for a given school year.
The data included in the profile are defined below:

Address - The physical address of the school.

Advanced Placement (AP) Classes - The number of students taking an AP course

Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) - NH has set new annual measurable objectives (AMOs) in reading and mathematics for the State and all school districts, schools, and subgroups. The AMOs were set in annual equal increments toward a goal of reducing by half the percentage of students in the "all students" group and in each subgroup who are not proficient within six years. The starting point for the AMOs will be proficiency rates based on assessments administered in the 2011-2012 school year.

Assessment Rankings - The data on the ranking reports are based on the performance index scores that are calculated during Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reporting. There are two rankings, one based on index score and one based on improvement from the prior year. Rankings are assigned by content area and calculated by grade level: Elementary/Middle and High School.

Attendance Rate - The rate is calculated by dividing the attendance by the membership (attendance plus absences). Attendance rates for elementary schools are for Grades 1-8 only.

Attendance/Graduation Rate - As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), states receiving funds under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) are required to post specific information and reports on the NH Department of Education's web site so that information is available to the public. The requirement for this report is to provide at the State, District and School level, by subgroup, the number and percentage of students who graduate from high school using a four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate.

Average Class Size - The number of students reported in each grade divided by the number of classrooms reported for that grade.

Bond and Note Interest and Bond and Note Principal - Prior to 1999-2000 interest and principal were reported as one figure. Budget information was used to estimate the split.

Cost Per Pupil - Cost per Pupil is based on current expenditures as reported on each school district's Annual Financial Report (DOE-25). Cost per pupil represents current expenditures less tuition and transportation costs. Any food service revenue is deducted from current expenditures before dividing by ADM in attendance. Capital and debt service are not current expenditures and are not included.

Current Educators - Educators who are currently employed by the school are shown with their current teaching assignments and their active endorsements. Clicking on the name, assignment and grade column headings with sort the list by the column selected. Clicking on an educator name will produce additional data about the educator such as the effective dates of their teaching certificate and endorsement. It will also show more detailed information about the classes they are teaching.

Detailed Assessment Reports - The following assessment reports for the state, each district, and each school are available through the Assessment and Accountability Public Reporting site:
  • New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) - The annual state assessment in Reading, Mathematics and Science.
  • NH Alternate Learning Progressions (NH ALPs) - An alternate assessment for students who meet the qualifying criteria for participation and who cannot meaningfully participate in the statewide general assessment even with accommodations
  • Combined Statewide Assessment Results - NECAP and NH ALPs combined assessment results for the state, each district, and each school.


District - The name of the district to which the school belongs along with the NH assigned district code.

Elementary and Middle - Performance Indicator Report – Link to an interactive report for the current district/school which calculates the performance -based score that is used in combination with their input-based score to determine if a school provides an adequate education or not.

Enrollment - Enrollments by grade and average class size are reported by school/district.

Enrollment by Race/Gender - Enrollments by race/gender are reported by school/district.

Equalized School, State and Total Tax Rate - The Department of Education has used tax assessment and equalized valuation data provided by the Department of Revenue Administration to compute equalized school and total tax rates. Equalized valuations represent the fair market value of most property. The equalized value of current use property is equal to the value of property that would generate the same tax revenue. Equalized valuations and tax rates are comparable from town to town. The property values and tax rates that appear on tax bills are based on the assessed values used by each town. These assessed values may be lower or higher than fair market values.

Expenditures - District expenditures include inter-district tuition, but the state totals do not, as this would double count these expenditures. Bond & Note Principal Repayments are not included in the totals because expenditures financed by bonds and notes have already been reported as expenditures in the current or a previous year. Including these expenditures in the total would double count these costs.

Facilities Construction - Facilities Construction includes only major construction projects. Repairs are included under Plant and Operations.

Federal Accountability Status (2013-14 on) - Selected Title I schools can be designated as a Priority, Focus or Reward School. This selection is the result of a new methodology based on NECAP overall assessment scores and subgroup performance that was approved in the state's Flexibility Waiver.

Federal Accountability Status Met (2003-04 to 2012-13) - Did the school meet both the student participation and student achievement requirements on the annual state assessment in Reading and Mathematics?

Food Service expenditures - Food Service expenditures are reported net of revenue from the sales of food. (State and federal aid has not been subtracted.)

General Administration and Business expenditures - General Administration and Business expenditures include the superintendent and other central office expenditures, school board expenditures, special education administration and other special area administration expenditures. (Business services may be reported under Business Services.)

Grades Offered - The grade levels students may be enrolled for the school.

Graduation Rate - Beginning with School Year 2010-11, graduation rate is reported as the percentage of students who graduate within four years with a regular high school diploma or an adult high school diploma (also referred to as a four-year adjusted cohort rate). As a condition of receiving funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, states are required to report the four-year adjusted cohort rate at the state, district, school, and subgroup level.

Graduation Rates and Dropouts - This report identifies the number of students who graduated in four years with a regular high school diploma or an adult high school diploma and the graduation rate by school and district. Additional information on the graduation rate is provided in the Technical Advisory – Graduation Rate Calculation: http://www.education.nh.gov/standards/tech_advisories.htm

High School - Performance Indicator Report – Link to an interactive report for the current district/school which calculates the performance -based score that is used in combination with their input-based score to determine if a school provides an adequate education or not.

Municipality Unemployment Rate - The Economic and Labor Market Bureau of NH Employment Security publishes these rates in their "NH Cities and Towns Benchmarked Unemployment Rates" report. Rates shown are for the calendar year that includes the first half of the school year. For example, the rate shown on the 98-99 pages is for the calendar year of 1998.

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) - NAEP is also commonly known as "the Nation's Report Card", and is conducted biennially. It focuses on what America's students know and are capable of doing in various subject areas by testing representative samples of students in grades 4, 8, and 12 in public and nonpublic schools. NAEP offers results regarding subject-matter achievement, instructional experiences and school environment for populations of students not individuals. NAEP achievement levels are reported as Basic or above, Proficient or above, and Advanced.

NCES District ID - A unique school code assigned by the National Center for Educational Statistics.

NCES School ID - A unique school code assigned by the National Center for Educational Statistics.

NECAP Longitudinal Reports
  • NECAP Teaching Yr. School/District Tested at Grade Comparison - This report shows the same grade level over time and compares it to other grade levels at the school or district for each disaggregation.
  • NECAP Teaching Yr. School/District "Cohort" History Comparison - This reports compares the history of cohort groups over time for some (but not all) disaggregation levels.
  • NECAP Teaching yr. School/District vs. State by Tested at Grade - This report shows the same grade level over time and compares it to the results for that grade level at the state and district level for each disaggregation.
  • NECAP Teaching Yr. School/District vs. State by "Cohort" History - This report shows a Cohort's history and compares it to the results for the same Cohort at the state and district level for some (but not all) disaggregation levels.
  • NECAP Teaching Yr. School/District GAP Analysis by Tested at Grade - This report compares subgroups within groups. For example it compares gender (male, female), IEP status, etc.

New Hampshire School Adequacy Summary - The two components (Input-Based Accountability System (IBAS) and Performance-Based School Accountability System (PBAS)) are shown which are used to determine if a school is providing an adequate education or not.

NH Adequacy Status Met - Did the school meet both the participation requirements and performance expectations for the state assessment tests?

NH Performance Based Accountability System - Link to the NH Performance Based School Accountability System web page where the details of the new NH accountability system are explained. The purpose of the new accountability system is to allow schools to demonstrate if they are providing the opportunity for an adequate education as required by NH law.

Non-Public Programs - Non-Public Programs include services, usually federally funded, provided to students in private school. (This category did not exist prior to 1999-2000.)

October 1 Enrollment - The head count of students attending a NH public school as of October 1. Home schooled students are not included.

Other Support Services - Other Support Services includes non-instructional services not included in another category. Prior to the 1999-2000 school year some districts reported employee benefits here rather than on the lines where employee salaries are reported. A high figure on this line is probably an indication that expenditures on other lines are under reported.

Plant and Operation - Plant and Operation includes the maintenance of buildings and grounds, utilities and custodial services. It does not capital expenditures.

Post-Graduation Plans - Postsecondary intentions of high school completers are reported each fall by guidance counselors using the best available information. High school "completers" include students that were issued a standard diploma, as well as those who received a certificate of attendance or a non-standard diploma.

Principal - The full name of the school's principal.

Risk Corridor - In an effort to develop a fair, meaningful and flexible AMO system as part of New Hampshire’s ESEA Flexibility Waiver, a “Risk Corridor” was created. A Risk Corridor is calculated for each school and sub-group which provides a margin for acceptable AMO performance. A school is considered to be in the Risk Corridor when they are below the actual target, but are within 5% of the target, or within the 95% confidence interval - whichever is a smaller number. Schools determined to be in the Risk Corridor are considered to have made AMO, but should be aware that they did not meet their target and may want to make adjustments during the next year. Schools below the Risk Corridor have not made AMO and are considered to be at “High Risk”.

SAU - The name of the School Administrative Unit (SAU) along with the NH assigned SAU code.

SAU Telephone - The telephone number for the SAU office.

School - The name of the school along with the NH assigned school code.

School Administration - School Administration includes principals, other school office staff and administrative activities.

School Close Date - The date the school closed (if the school is no longer active.)

School Fax - The fax number for the school.

School Open Date - The date the school originally opened.

School Safety - The number of school safety-related incidents (bullying, bomb threats, robberies, etc. ), the total number of all incidents and the total number of incidents per 1,000 students. This data is not available until the following school year.

School Staff - The FTE counts as submitted by the schools for each of the staffing groups listed.

School Telephone - The telephone number for the school.

School Type - One of the following school types: Public School, Charter School, Joint Maintenance Agreement or Public Academy

School Web Site - The URL of the school's website.

Selected Populations - The number of Limited English Proficient Students and the number of free/reduced eligible students by count and percent.

Statewide NCLB Accountability Status (2003-04 to 2012-13) - As required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, this section shows the federal accountability status, by content area, for all schools and districts statewide. The Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) designations status descriptions are as follows:
  • Acceptable - A school or district not designated as in need of improvement.
  • SINI/DINI Year 1 - A sanction for a school or school district not making AYP for two consecutive years in the same performance indicator. The term "Year 1" does not indicate the number of years the school or district may have been in need of improvement; the term indicates the sanction level of the school or district.
  • SINI/DINI Year 2 - A sanction for a school or district in need of improvement that has not made AYP for the third time in the indicator causing the original designation.
  • Corrective Action/Level 3 - A sanction for a school or district in need of improvement that has not made AYP for the fourth time in the indicator causing the original designation. Note: Title I schools and districts are subject to federal sanctions under the No Child Left Behind Act as well as state sanctions; non-Title I schools and districts are subject to only state sanctions. At this sanction level, only Title I schools and districts enter Corrective Action.
  • Restructure Planning/Level 4 - The restructuring (planning year) sanction applies only to Title I schools that have not made AYP for the fifth year in the indicator causing the original designation.
  • Restructuring/Levels 5 and 6 - The restructuring (implementation year) sanction applies only to Title I schools that have not made AYP for the sixth year (Level 5) or seventh year (Level 6) in the indicator causing the original designation.


Student Achievement Trends - The number and percent of students who scored Proficient or better on the state assessment tests by grade over time. It uses data combined from the NECAP and the NH-Alt assessments.

Student Assessment - This data presents academic performance results and assessment participation data for all NH students who took either the general NECAP Assessment or the NH-Alternate Assessment. It shows the percentage of students attaining one of the 4 achievement levels for each content area.
  • Substantially Below Proficient (%) - The percentage of students performing at this level demonstrate extensive and significant gaps in prerequisite
  • Partially Proficient (%) - The percentage of students performing at this level demonstrate gaps in prerequisite knowledge and skills needed to perform successfully in instructional activities at the current grade level.
  • Proficient (%) - The percentage of students performing at this level demonstrate minor gaps in the prerequisite knowledge and skills needed to perform successfully in instructional activities at the current grade level.
  • Proficient with Distinction (%) - The percentage of students performing at this level demonstrate the prerequisite knowledge and skills needed to participate and excel in instructional activities the current grade level.


Student Support Services - Student Support Services include guidance, health, psychological, speech and occupational therapy services. Instructional Staff Support includes curriculum development, staff development (other than tuition reimbursement), and library and media services.The first four expenditure categories cover instructional activities dealing directly with students. Special Programs include special education as well as programs for culturally deprived, English as a second language, and gifted and talented students. Other Instructional Programs include athletics and summer school.

Superintendent - The full name of the superintendent for the school's SAU.

Teacher Quality - The quality of the teaching staff as measured by their HQT status, and level of education. Teachers can be considered highly qualified for the content they are teaching by demonstrating competency through several alternatives. Further explanation about HQT can be found at http://www.education.nh.gov/hqt/index.htm. Additional teacher quality details can be found in the staff tab of the Profiles.

Testing Participation (%) - This statistic is the number of students enrolled on the first day of testing who participated in the state assessment divided by the number of students eligible to participate, reported to the nearest 1%.

Title I Focus School - As a result of a new methodology approved in the state’s Flexibility Waiver, the New Hampshire Department of Education can concentrate its support on those Title I schools designated as Title I Priority or Focus School depending on NECAP overall assessment scores and subgroup performance. Being a part of a Priority or Focus School cohort will provide additional resources and partnerships to these schools to support the students they serve.

Title I Priority School - As a result of a new methodology approved in the state’s Flexibility Waiver, the New Hampshire Department of Education can concentrate its support on those Title I schools designated as Title I Priority or Focus School depending on NECAP overall assessment scores and subgroup performance. Being a part of a Priority or Focus School cohort will provide additional resources and partnerships to these schools to support the students they serve.

Total Expenditures - This information is based on the district's year end financial statement (DOE-25). This data is reported in September for the year ending the previous June 30.

Total Revenues - The six main sources of revenue are shown. Food Service revenue does not include the sale price of meals. (State and federal aid are reported on the aid lines.) The state total for Tuition, Food Service and Other Local Services is net of inter-district transactions. Other Local Services includes interest earned on general deposits and bond proceeds. Sale of Fixed Assets is also included in Other Local Services. Because Bonds & Notes must be repaid with revenues from other sources, amounts are shown below the total revenue line. Including these expenditures in the total would double count these revenues.

Transportation - includes all categories of transportation including to-and-from school, athletics, field trips and special education.













New Hampshire Department of Education
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