New Hampshire has very high educational attainment, ranking as one of the top 10 states in the percentage of
adults with associate, bachelor's, and graduate degrees. It has a low high school dropout rate and the lowest poverty rate of any state in the country. It is expected to have a 12 percent decrease in high school graduates from 2007–08 to 2017–18. Like other New England states, but very different from nationwide trends, college-age student immigration dynamics in New Hampshire are very active. About 50 percent of high school graduates leave the state to attend a postsecondary institution, but more than 50 percent of postsecondary students in New Hampshire come from another state. Further, about half of all college graduates leave the state upon graduation. New Hampshire, in response, has launched the "55 Percent Initiative," an effort to try to increase the capture rate of its college graduates from 50 percent to 55 percent.

New Hampshire's higher education accountability system's strengths are:

• Collecting and reporting data in a timely fashion.

New Hampshire's higher education accountability system needs work in:

• Separating data by important socioeconomic factors (race/ethnicity, gender, income, first-generation status, transfer students, etc.).
• Comparing data across time and/or against peers.
• Aligning state priorities with concrete goals for achievement.
• Formally linking budgetary decisions to the performance of state postsecondary institutions.
• Proactively informing prospective students, parents, and the general public about the performance of state colleges and universities.

Download New Hampshire's Full Score Card Report.