Down East Times

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

Of the 6,292 students attending schools in the county, 90.6% were white. Multiracial students were the second most represented ethnic group, making up 3.4% of the total enrollment.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Hancock County, representing 91.2% of the student body.

Bar Harbor Public Schools had the evenest distribution of races among county districts, with 81.9% white, 6% multiracial, 4.2% African American, 3.9% Asian, 2.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.6% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 0.6% American Indian or Alaskan Native.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public districts in the county increased by 0.2% 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."

District	Most Prevalent Ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Students
Isle Au Haut Public Schools	White	99.9%	2
Frenchboro Public Schools	White	99.9%	5
Surry Public Schools	White	98.5%	196
Tremont Public Schools	White	98.4%	127
Deer Isle-Stonington Community School District	White	96.5%	311
Brooksville Public Schools	White	96.3%	82
Castine Public Schools	White	96.1%	77
Otis Public Schools	White	94.6%	92
Penobscot Public Schools	White	94.4%	107
Sedgwick Public Schools	White	93.6%	124
Blue Hill Public Schools	White	92.1%	403
Brooklin Public Schools	White	92%	75
Lamoine Public Schools	White	91.9%	172
Hancock Public Schools	White	91.2%	296
Regional School Unit 25	White	91.1%	1,047
Trenton Public Schools	White	90.6%	213
Regional School Unit 24	White	90.4%	857
Southwest Harbor Public Schools	White	88.8%	125
Mount Desert Community School District	White	88.5%	365
Ellsworth Public Schools	White	87.7%	1,078
Mount Desert Public Schools	White	86.8%	151
Cranberry Isles Public Schools	White	86.7%	15
Maine School Administrative District 76	White	85.4%	41
Bar Harbor Public Schools	White	81.9%	331