Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Windham is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, ranked 5th of 125 in New Hampshire. It is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns, it reports less crime per resident than 96% of U.S. towns, and its public schools beat 91% of New Hampshire towns on state tests and graduation. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $801K for a typical one and 6.9 times the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. Windham’s median rent is $3,218 a month, above both the New Hampshire town median ($1,382 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). On hazard risk, just 18 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns do better. Windham has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Searles School and Chapel and Armstrong Memorial Building.
Where Windham beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Windham | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.2% | 6.8% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Brook Elementary School | PK–4 | 1,113 |
| Windham Academy Public Charter School | K–8 | 410 |
| Crossing Life Academy | K–4 | 18 |
Census counts: 663 in 1790, a low of 538 in 1930, 15,817 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1899 and 5 maps from 1905 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Windham is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Windham. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
5 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
Big draw34 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
26 mi LakeWalden Pond
3 mi Theme parkCanobie Lake Park
34 mi AttractionFreedom TrailFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · America's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Canobie Lake Park: Alex1961, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Windham, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 19, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Windham.
Windham is among the three healthiest towns in New Hampshire, has schools in the top 5% of New Hampshire and reports less crime than Londonderry or any other graded neighbor.
49 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. Windham’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile. Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 8 have a lower share of conserved land than Windham.
| Windham | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.8 miles per square mile | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.5% | 18% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Windham Town Land | 7.2 mi | 145 |
| 2. Gage Conservation Lands | 6 mi | 134 |
| 3. Windham Town Forest | 3.5 mi | 423 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A ranks #5 of the 126 New Hampshire towns we grade for schools. Its A is the best School Grade on its borders; Salem (B+) is next.
Its public schools are run by the Windham School District. Three of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Windham High School, with 945 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Brook Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 1,113 | A |
| Windham High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 945 | A |
| Windham Center SchoolTop results in townGrades 5–6 | Grades 5–6 | 426 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
It ranks #2 of the 126 New Hampshire towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with New Hampshire is no health insurance: 4.2% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 6.8% statewide.
26% of adults feel lonely in Windham. Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 1 have a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Windham. 13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Windham.
| Windham | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.4% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Windham | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.2% | 6.8% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.9% | 9.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A+ tops all 5 graded towns on its borders; Londonderry (A−) comes closest. Violent crime is rare: 5 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Windham is 2.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Windham | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 6.9 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $801K) costs more against local pay than in 90% of New Hampshire towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Pelham is next at $680K.
94% of Windham households own their home. The typical Windham home is worth about $801,000, up 1.2% in a year, 57% above the New Hampshire typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
27% of working residents cross a state line to work, Boston among the top destinations. Jobs based here grew from 3,063 in 2013 to 4,333.
Of the 126 New Hampshire towns we compare, none has a higher median household income than Windham. Jobs based in Windham grew to 4,333 in 2023, 1,270 more than in 2013. Most working residents leave Windham for work: only 10% work in town.
| Windham | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $190,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 22% | 16% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 2% | 6.8% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1987, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Windham.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Hudson 1 Sse weather station, 6 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 156 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 77% of New Hampshire places with climate records.
Windham has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 67 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
10 within 15 miles of the center of Windham
About 4 of every 100 Windham residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
13,592 counted in 2010 and 15,817 in 2020; an estimated 16,259 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
2 places in Windham on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Windham.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Windham is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population at the 2020 census was 15,817, up from 13,592 in 2010. It is part of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Windham.
At #5 in NH, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Pelham (A−) comes closest.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Windham grades A+ overall, better than 97% of U.S. towns and #5 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A+ for health, A+ for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
6 notable people were born here, including Samuel Dinsmoor and William Bell Dinsmoor.
