By Lisa Sevajian, Realtor · Published September 24, 2026 · Last updated October 14, 2026 · 8 min read

How Do You Research a School Before You Move to Andover MA, Salem NH or Nearby?

The prettiest street isn't always the best fit. Here's what I check first.

You found the house. The street looks perfect. Now you're wondering about the school, and that worry can keep you up at night.

If you feel unsure, you aren't alone. Most of the parents I work with feel the same way. A ranking site gave them a number, and a number can't tell you if a school fits your child.

This is part 3 of our four-part schools series. Part 1 framed the choice. Part 2 put a price on it. Here's how to check the school itself, so you decide on facts and not on talk at an open house.

A ranking can start your list. It can't tell you if the school fits your child.

Why isn't a school ranking enough?

A ranking squeezes a whole school into one number. It's a fine way to start a short list, and a poor way to finish one.

Each ranking site uses its own math. It may weigh things you don't care about. It can't show you class sizes, the culture, or the help your child might need.

Families who stop at the ranking often learn the big stuff after the move. So check the school in three layers: the state data, the district, and a visit.

What state school data should you read first?

Start with the free state profiles. They use the same format for every town, so you can line towns up side by side.

In Massachusetts, use the DESE school and district profiles. DESE is the state education department. In New Hampshire, use iPlatform, the state's school data site. It shows test results, student and teacher counts, and district budgets.

Look at more than test scores:

• How many students the school has, over several years
• Class sizes and how many students there are for each teacher
• How long teachers tend to stay
• How often kids miss school
• Results for kids like yours, including students who get extra help
• Graduation rates and what graduates do next

Read the trend over a few years. One odd year can make a school look better or worse than it is.

What should you ask the school district before you make an offer?

Call or email the district office before you write an offer. Most of these answers aren't online.

• Which school serves this exact address? Is that guaranteed?
• Is any school full, and could that change where my child goes?
• Is there a bus from this address? Is there a fee?
• Is there care before and after school? Is there a waitlist?
• How does enrollment work if we move in the middle of the year?
• What programs does each school offer, like languages, art, advanced classes and sports?
• If my child has an IEP or a 504 plan, how does the move work?

An IEP is a written plan for a student who gets special education. A 504 plan sets up help for a student with a disability. Ask for answers in writing when you can, most of all on which school your child will attend.

What should you look for on a school visit?

Many schools let new families visit. Call the principal's office and ask.

On the visit, notice:

• How staff talk to kids in the halls
• Whether the student work on the walls looks fresh
• How drop off and pick up really run, car line and all
• The shape of the building, the playground and the library
• Whether the principal can tell you, in plain words, what the school cares about most

Good questions for the principal: What are you proud of right now? What are you working to fix? How do you talk with families? What's changing next year?

How can you tell where a school district is headed?

The state profile shows where a district has been. The school committee shows where it's going.

Read the last few meeting minutes and the proposed budget. Look for staff changes, cut programs, new buildings and money worries. A district in a tight budget year can look very different three years from now.

Building plans matter to your tax bill too. In Haverhill MA, a new middle school is going up and the plan for Whittier Tech, the regional trade high school, is still open. Our Haverhill MA schools and taxes guide walks through both.

Local parent groups help as well. Treat each opinion as one voice, and look for patterns.

Why should you check middle and high school too?

Because your child won't stay in grade 2 forever. Many families study the elementary school and skip the rest.

The jump to middle school and then high school is where many families feel the biggest change. Ask parents of older kids how those moves went: the schedule, friends, extra help and activities.

Some towns share schools. Salisbury MA is part of the Triton Regional schools with Newbury MA and Rowley MA. Derry NH high schoolers go to Pinkerton Academy, and the town pays their tuition. That can mean a bigger school or a longer bus ride than the one down the street. See our Salisbury MA and Derry NH guides for how those work.

How does the Lisa Sevajian Group help with the school piece?

We don't rate or recommend schools. That choice is yours. Our job is to make sure you have the right questions, the right sources and enough time to get answers before you make an offer.

I've made the schools or the house choice twice for my own family. Once I picked the school district. Once I picked the house. Both times, I wish I'd slowed down and weighed it more. That's why I walk families through it step by step now.

Next in the series: Part 4, what to do if the school isn't a fit, from school choice and charter schools to private school and a real Plan B.

This is general information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Check with your attorney, lender and CPA before you decide.

I'll guide you home.

Lisa Sevajian