Once again, Hooksett is considering whether it needs its own high school. While Hooksett still has 14 years left in its current contract with the Manchester high schools, it’s good to look ahead now while the need is not urgent. When Hooksett agreed to the current contract, Manchester was also home to about 900 Bedford high schoolers, which made things crowded at West High School. Bedford has now got its own high school, which has eased up space in the city high schools.

It’s disappointing the city didn’t run with the opportunity it had to create special schools within the high schools, focusing on technology, the arts and more. They could have done something special and given our students great motivation to stay in school and work hard. One of the greatest advantages the city offers is a plethora of classes, clubs and activities because there are so many students. Such specialized academies could have been part of the offerings that made the city high schools a better deal for Hooksett, Candia and Auburn students, not to mention Manchester kids.

Watching Bedford High School has been instructive. Bedford is a much larger town than Hooksett, by almost double, so it’s unclear if a Hooksett high school could measure up to that example. But as Hooksett grows, it may reach that critical mass by 2023. And it is good to know we now have a place to build that school when that time comes, thanks to Manchester Sand and Gravel.

- Editorials published by Neighborhood News Inc. are written by an editorial board.

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