Reliance On Property Taxes For School Funding Strains Local Taxpayers

The Challenge: New Hampshire is one of the lowest-ranked states in the nation for state-level contributions to K-12 education, leaving school costs to be carried largely by local property taxpayers, resulting in inequities across districts and making it increasingly difficult to sustain. What do New Hampshire residents think? Contributors described a system in which the cost of educating children falls disproportionately on local property owners, with limited and uneven support from the state. One contributor wrote: “New Hampshire needs to figure out a fair and equitable way to fund education for all of our children.” Another contributor pointed to the long-running legal context: “Courts have ruled that the New Hampshire state government ( https://fairfundingnh.org/learn/school-funding/ ) is mandated to pay their fair share but for years they have not. We are the last state in the nation for funding for public schools.” Across responses, contributors described uneven outcomes between districts, rising local burdens, and a shared belief that the state’s share of education funding has not kept pace with what schools and communities need.