The Hooksett School Board does not know if the town needs a high school. But they are ready to find out.

A newly formed committee – which has not yet held its first meeting – includes elected officials and community members.

The Hooksett High School Committee is charged with considering whether a new high school is a viable option. School Superintendent Charles “Phil” Littlefield said he is not sure what the findings of the committee will be, but is certain the investigation will take the better part of a year, if not longer.

“We really need to study the issue and what are all the factors that go into answering that question,” Littlefield said. “I think the board and I genuinely feel this is a community study and it’s something we should take sufficient time, energy and effort and our position on it should be a data-informed position. It may come out ‘yes,’ it may come out ‘no.’ We have the obligation to study it.”

Regardless of the findings of the committee, the school district is already looking into potential sites should the town eventually need another school. Littlefield said the board is in preliminary discussions with Manchester Sand and Gravel, which has expressed an interest in donating land for future school use.

“People should not make the inference that we’ve decided to build a high school,” Littlefield said. “What we’re doing is in the event sometime in the future this community needs a school, we want to have a site identified and available. It would be a gift. We’re looking at several sites. We haven’t really come to an agreement on a specific site. Hopefully we will. (Manchester Sand and Gravel has) been so good to work with and extremely responsive to what our future needs might be.”

Currently, the Hooksett School District sends its students to Central and West high schools in Manchester and reimburses the Manchester School District for the costs of educating each student. Hooksett, Candia and Auburn have an agreement with Manchester for the city to provide high school services through June 30, 2023.

During the 2007-08 school year, Karen Lessard, business administrator for the Hooksett School District, said 497 Hooksett high school students attended school in Manchester and the estimated tuition bill totaled more than $3.5 million, or about $7,100 per student.

In addition to tuition, the Hooksett School District is obligated to contribute about $930,000 a year to the Manchester School District to help pay off old renovation loans. When the Manchester high schools were renovated a few years ago, Lessard said, various school districts that send students into the city for high school, agreed to contribute a proportional amount toward the loan based on the numbers of students sent.

Although the financial obligation to the Manchester School District – which last year totaled about $4.5 million – is a good reason to consider building a high school in town, Hooksett Town Council Chairman Dave Dickson said he anticipates it will cost much more to operate a new school.

“I think we have to explore it,” said Dickson, who will represent the Town Council on the high school committee. “I’m going in with an open mind. It’s going to be a long process and it’s ultimately going to be up to the taxpayers.”