Down East Times

There were 5,770 white students enrolled in Hancock County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 0.4% less than the previous year, according to the Maine Department of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 90.9% of the 6,351 students in Hancock County schools at the time. They were the most represented ethnicity.

Among the 36 schools in the county, Ellsworth Elementary-Middle School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 661 students.

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 Name	White Students Enrollment	Total Enrollment	% of Total Enrollment
Ellsworth Elementary-Middle School	661	752	87.9%
Ellsworth High School	469	524	89.5%
Mt. Desert Island High School	435	493	88.2%
Bucksport High School	309	344	89.8%
Conners-Emerson School	272	333	81.7%
Miles Lane School	272	300	90.7%
Bucksport Middle School	259	277	93.5%
George Stevens Academy	252	270	93.3%
Sumner Memorial High School	235	262	89.7%
Blue Hill Consolidated School	248	259	95.8%
Deer Isle-Stonington Elementary School	197	204	96.6%
Hancock Grammar School	162	180	90%
Sumner Middle School	148	167	88.6%
Mt. Desert Elementary School	131	151	86.8%
Dedham School	140	147	95.2%
Trenton Elementary School	136	143	95.1%
Mountain View School	131	141	92.9%
Surry Elementary School	136	139	97.8%
Pemetic Elementary School	118	132	89.4%
G. Herbert Jewett School	120	131	91.6%
Lamoine Consolidated School	114	125	91.2%
Tremont Consolidated School	118	120	98.3%
Deer Isle-Stonington High School	106	110	96.4%
Beech Hill School	87	91	95.6%
Peninsula School	76	83	91.6%
Sedgwick Elementary School	67	74	90.5%
Penobscot Elementary School	66	70	94.3%
Cave Hill School	54	61	88.5%
Brooklin School	50	56	89.3%
Adams School	47	49	95.9%
Brooksville Elementary School	43	46	93.5%
Airline Community School	38	39	97.4%
Blue Hill Harbor School	38	38	100%
Swans Island Elementary School	24	28	85.7%
Cranberry Isles School	6	7	85.7%
Frenchboro Elementary School	5	5	100%