The students have spoken.
This week, Charles Littlefield, superintendent of schools for School Administrative Unit (SAU) 15, which includes Hooksett, announced the number of Hooksett freshmen-to-be who have chosen Pinkerton Academy for 2014-15 – 106 of Hooksett’s 166 eighth-graders chose Pinkerton.
In addition, Littlefield said, 32 chose Manchester, until this year Hooksett’s school of record. Seven chose Londonderry; six, Bow; and four, Pembroke Academy.
The deadline for selection was Jan. 17, Littlefield said. The process is “almost final,” with a hard and fast deadline of Feb. 1.
“Kids whose friends are all going to Pinkerton may change their minds, or vice versa,” he explained.
Littlefield said that while he can’t speak for the board or other administrators, he was neither surprised nor “not surprised” at the number of students who chose Pinkerton. “I did not try to predict,” he said, “though I knew there was a tremendous amount of interest in Pinkerton.”
He added, “For a significant amount of the current class, when they had a choice to make, this is what they chose.” It doesn’t mean that subsequent classes will choose the same, he said.
The next step is to verify the children’s choices, then notify the five schools. “We want to make sure they get into the programs and scheduling cycles with those schools as soon as possible,” he said.
Hooksett was released from its contract with Manchester last year. The district has a Memorandum of Understanding with Bow, Londonderry and Pembroke, and has a one-year enrollment agreement with Pinkerton. A warrant article in March will ask voters if they want to enter into a 10-year contract with Pinkerton.
