The Goffstown School District operates under SAU #19 and also teaches students grades seven through twelve from neighboring New Boston, NH.  Goffstown's elementary schools include Bartlett Elementary and Maple Avenue Elementary.  Mountain View Middle School teaches students in grades five through eight while the Goffstown Area High School maintains grades nine through twelve.  New Boston students enter Mountain View Middle School in the seventh grade and attend at Goffstown until graduation.  Goffstown also offers kindergarten classes for (Goffstown children only) at the Glen Lake School.

Glen Lake School (k)
    Leslie Doster, Principal
    (603) 497-2550

Bartlett Elementary School (1-4)
    (603) 623-8088
    David Bousquet, Principal

Maple Avenue Elementary School (1-4)
    (603) 497-3330
    Marc Boyd, Principal
    Suzanne Pyszka, Assistant Principal

Mountain View Middle School (5-8)
    Jim Hunt, Principal
    Sandra Davis, Assistant Principal
    Fred Deppe, Assistant Principal
    (603) 497-8288

Goffstown Area High School (9-12)
    Frank McBride, Principal
    Kim McCann, Assistant Principal
    Mary Singer, Assistant Principal
    (603) 497-4841

Goffstown School System District Highlights

The Goffstown School District, located in the south central region of New Hampshire, continues to be a strong, progressive school district in the state. It is comprised of two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. Our schools are a source of pride for the Town of Goffstown, and reflect the diversity and high expectations of this growing community.


As a district, we maintain a continued focus on Advancing Student Learning. In partnership with family and community, our Educational Goals are as follows:

*All students will develop reading ability in order to comprehend content materials at or beyond what is required at each level.

*All students will develop their writing skills in order to communicate effectively in each content area.

*All students will acquire mathematical skills and applications at or beyond the level needed to succeed in each content area.

*All students will participate in educational experiences beyond the core curriculum and the boundaries of the traditional classroom (such as community service, athletics, student council, band, drama, etc.).

A quality instructional program offers each student the opportunity to expand his or her interests and abilities. Advancing Student Learning has moved to the forefront as our mission. We have utilized standardized state testing such as NHEIAP, NWEA, and NECAP scores, common mid-term and final exams, New Standards tests, Literacy Folders, local writing samples, and student projects to guide our work. We are working to enhance our student writing in the content areas with a particular focus on open-ended questions.

However, we make note that assessments are but one piece of the puzzle. There are many factors that influence what happens in our schools, but none are as influential as quality teaching and the use of time. Efforts to create a sustained literacy block of time for each classroom are now a focus of elementary scheduling. Our Best Schools projects have addressed both of the aforementioned areas. Noting that time influences teaching and shapes the interactions between teacher and students, we now utilize instructional time at our high school in a modified block approach. Our second Best Schools project helped to redesign and provide connections for Professional Development, supervision and evaluation and the teacher recertification process. Our program has been recognized by the New Hampshire DOE, the Professional Standards Board, the Principals Association, and others. We have begun to focus on student transitions from home to school, grade to grade, school to school and school to the work world and/or college. We have noted a need to focus more on communication with parents regarding their student's education and their individual progress. It is our goal to make more use of technology in this communication process.

A growing co-curricular program including sports, drama, music and specialty clubs enhances our students' educational careers with enriching after-school experiences. The faculty and staff are deeply committed to every student's progress and to the development of each youngster as a caring, responsible citizen. A spirit of volunteerism has taken hold in our community. Our approach to building understanding and local support for high quality education has been to enhance cooperation, communication, and collaboration among all members of the learning community.

Historically, our district's major strengths have included the active interest and participation of our townspeople in making decisions that affect the community's well being. The support of the community, the Goffstown Budget Committee, and the Goffstown Taxpayers Association has been unprecedented. Education funding in our state, however, continues to change from biennium to biennium, and is now more than ever a central issue for the community.

Of all the observations made in recent years about the quality of education, the one inescapable fact that emerges is that quality teaching is the center of successful educational programs. To that end we have:

*Developed an SAU #19 Professional Development Newsletter called The Chalkboard.

*Developed a series of in-house professional development programs focusing on our goal of improving student reading achievement.

*Held a Summer Technology Academy open to all school staff and town employees.

*Opened the GAHS computer lab (staffed by computer fellows) evenings for staff and community use.

*Developed a student skills based technology plan and tied expectations to grade levels and curricula.

*Developed an in-house paraprofessional certification program.

*Developed an in-house Masters Degree program in Education and in Special Education.

*Developed an Integrated Model for Professional Development and School Improvement.

*Created and implemented a Comprehensive Teacher Induction Program for all new staff.

The District's Professional Development activities remain an integral part of our commitment toward Advancing Student Learning. Professional development continues to employ job-embedded techniques to connect teaching and learning to further advance levels of student achievement. Professional plans submitted by staff indicate an increasing awareness and dedication toward aligning their individual goals with both school and district-level goals - with student achievement as our ultimate goal. Staff members are committed to communicating learning expectations and student progress to parents on a regular basis.