ME Commissioner of Education Pender Makin 2023 | Maine Department of Education
ME Commissioner of Education Pender Makin 2023 | Maine Department of Education
Washington County had the fourth least enrollment numbers in the state.
According to the data, 51.8% of the students enrolled in the 2023-24 school year were boys, and 48.1% were girls, and 0.1% did not specify their gender or identify with either category.
Most of the students enrolled in the 2023-24 school year were white, representing 83.1% of the Washington County student body.
Within the county, Rose M. Gaffney School had the highest enrollment in the school year, welcoming 346 students.
While Maine's public school enrollment has slightly rebounded from the sharp drop during the 2020-21 school year, it remains about 4% below pre-pandemic levels. The decline is partly due to an increase in homeschooling and more students completing high school early through college courses and adult education.
"Adult education enrollment is up, providing high school completion and job training programs to meet individual needs," said a spokesman for the Maine Department of Education in an interview with Maine Public. Additionally, some 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."
As of 2024, the average student-to-teacher ratio in public schools in Maine is 11:1, much lower than the national average of one teacher for every 15 students.
| School Name | Total Enrollment in 2022-23 | Total Enrollment in 2023-24 | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Elementary School | 35 | 40 | 14.3% |
| Bay Ridge Elementary School | 51 | 42 | -17.6% |
| Beals Elementary School | 41 | 38 | -7.3% |
| Calais Elementary School | 261 | 255 | -2.3% |
| Calais Middle/High School | 293 | 302 | 3.1% |
| Charlotte Elementary School | 22 | 12 | -45.5% |
| Cherryfield Elementary School | 100 | 97 | -3% |
| Daniel W. Merritt School | 99 | 88 | -11.1% |
| East Grand School | 139 | 140 | 0.7% |
| East Range II CSD School | 25 | 15 | -40% |
| Eastport Elementary School | 95 | 89 | -6.3% |
| Edmunds Consolidated School | 68 | 66 | -2.9% |
| Elm Street School-East Machias | 190 | 197 | 3.7% |
| Fort O'Brien School | 48 | 48 | 0% |
| Harrington Elementary School | 124 | 132 | 6.5% |
| Jonesboro Elementary School | 51 | 43 | -15.7% |
| Jonesport Elementary School | 99 | 102 | 3% |
| Jonesport-Beals High School | 68 | 59 | -13.2% |
| Lubec Consolidated School | 95 | 94 | -1.1% |
| Machias Memorial High School | 170 | 173 | 1.8% |
| Milbridge Elementary School | 127 | 118 | -7.1% |
| Narraguagus High School | 314 | 304 | -3.2% |
| Pembroke Elementary School | 68 | 63 | -7.4% |
| Perry Elementary School | 70 | 71 | 1.4% |
| Princeton Elementary School | 121 | 108 | -10.7% |
| Rose M. Gaffney School | 324 | 346 | 6.8% |
| Shead High School | 86 | 84 | -2.3% |
| Whiting Village School | 25 | 24 | -4% |
| Woodland Elementary School | 114 | 119 | 4.4% |
| Woodland Junior-Senior High School | 182 | 173 | -4.9% |
| Washington Academy | 336 | 304 | -9.5% |
| Beatrice Rafferty School | 138 | 134 | -2.9% |
| Ella Lewis School | 78 | 79 | 1.3% |
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