Down East Times

The majority of students in Hancock County schools were white in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Maine Department of Education.

Of the 6,351 students attending Hancock County schools, 90.9% were white.

Multiracial students were the second largest ethnic group among Hancock County students (3.8%).

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Hancock County, representing 91.3% of the student body.

Conners-Emerson School, Ellsworth Elementary-Middle School, and Ellsworth High School had the most diverse student body in Hancock County, which included white, multiracial, African American, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county increased by 0.1% when compared to the previous year.

Recent data from Maine's public schools for the 2023-2024 school year reveal a noticeable growth in Hispanic, Black and multiracial enrollment over the past decade. While over 85% of students still identify as white, this shows a slow but steady increase in diversity within the state schools.

Despite these shifts, Maine's public school enrollment remains about 4% below pre-pandemic levels, despite a slight rebound from the sharp drop during the 2020-21 school year. The decline is partly due to an increase in homeschooling and more students completing high school early through college courses and adult education.

A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Education also mentioned in an interview with Maine Public some other pandemic-related factors persist, with "some parents choosing not to enroll younger children in school and older students who took on jobs to support their families during the pandemic and who are still counted on to provide that support."

School	Most Prevalent Ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Students
Frenchboro Elementary School	White	99.9%	5
Blue Hill Harbor School	White	99.9%	38
Tremont Consolidated School	White	98.3%	120
Surry Elementary School	White	97.8%	139
Airline Community School	White	97.4%	39
Deer Isle-Stonington Elementary School	White	96.6%	204
Deer Isle-Stonington High School	White	96.4%	110
Adams School	White	95.9%	49
Blue Hill Consolidated School	White	95.8%	259
Beech Hill School	White	95.6%	91
Dedham School	White	95.2%	147
Trenton Elementary School	White	95.1%	143
Penobscot Elementary School	White	94.3%	70
Brooksville Elementary School	White	93.5%	46
Bucksport Middle School	White	93.5%	277
George Stevens Academy	White	93.3%	270
Mountain View School	White	92.9%	141
G. Herbert Jewett School	White	91.6%	131
Peninsula School	White	91.6%	83
Lamoine Consolidated School	White	91.2%	125
Miles Lane School	White	90.7%	300
Sedgwick Elementary School	White	90.5%	74
Hancock Grammar School	White	90%	180
Bucksport High School	White	89.8%	344
Sumner Memorial High School	White	89.7%	262
Ellsworth High School	White	89.5%	524
Pemetic Elementary School	White	89.4%	132
Brooklin School	White	89.3%	56
Sumner Middle School	White	88.6%	167
Cave Hill School	White	88.5%	61
Mt. Desert Island High School	White	88.2%	493
Ellsworth Elementary-Middle School	White	87.9%	752
Mt. Desert Elementary School	White	86.8%	151
Cranberry Isles School	White	85.7%	7
Swans Island Elementary School	White	85.7%	28
Conners-Emerson School	White	81.7%	333