Maine Highlands News

There were 17,416 white students enrolled in Penobscot County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 0.2% more than the previous year, according to the Maine Department of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 88.8% of the 19,603 students in Penobscot County schools at the time. They were the most represented ethnicity.

Among the 68 schools in the county, Bangor High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 881 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
Bangor High School	881	1,071	82.3%
Brewer Community School	759	884	85.9%
Hampden Academy	735	781	94.1%
Brewer High School	644	715	90.1%
Nokomis Regional High School	561	622	90.2%
Ridge View Community School	560	587	95.4%
Hermon High School	524	555	94.4%
Nokomis Regional Middle School	508	541	93.9%
Old Town High School	459	520	88.3%
Central Community Elementary School	468	502	93.2%
Patricia A. Duran School	443	477	92.9%
John Bapst Memorial High School	374	422	88.6%
Old Town Elementary School	364	419	86.9%
Glenburn Elementary School	354	387	91.5%
Orono High School	336	373	90.1%
Center Drive School	340	366	92.9%
William S. Cohen School	306	364	84.1%
James F. Doughty School	287	363	79.1%
Reeds Brook Middle School	311	338	92%
Fruit Street School	253	333	76%
Sebasticook Valley Elementary School	304	330	92.1%
Hermon Middle School	293	321	91.3%
Mattanawcook Junior High School	305	318	95.9%
Ella P. Burr School	299	308	97.1%
Downeast School	231	307	75.2%
Asa C. Adams School	262	306	85.6%
Central High School	296	304	97.4%
Leonard Middle School	266	302	88.1%
Earl C. McGraw School	265	291	91.1%
George B. Weatherbee School	256	288	88.9%
Mattanawcook Academy	271	285	95.1%
Dr. Lewis S. Libby School	253	279	90.7%
Dexter Regional High School	242	253	95.7%
Fairmount School	201	241	83.4%
Central Middle School	210	232	90.5%
Mary Snow School	175	231	75.8%
Granite Street School	201	217	92.6%
Enfield Station Elementary School	207	216	95.8%
Suzanne M. Smith Elementary School	198	214	92.5%
Stearns Junior-Senior High School	202	212	95.3%
Caravel Middle School	185	198	93.4%
Vine Street School	150	191	78.5%
Holbrook School	174	189	92.1%
Etna-Dixmont School	178	188	94.7%
Carmel Elementary School	156	166	94%
Veazie Community School	140	165	84.8%
Abraham Lincoln School	132	164	80.5%
Fourteenth Street School	129	160	80.6%
Katahdin Elementary School	137	147	93.2%
Orono Middle School	125	146	85.6%
Opal Myrick Elementary School	137	145	94.5%
Helen S. Dunn Elementary School	135	144	93.8%
Katahdin Middle/High School	141	144	97.9%
Eddington School	119	135	88.1%
Holden School	120	126	95.2%
Penobscot Valley High School	116	125	92.8%
Indian Township School	16	124	12.9%
Lee Academy	87	112	77.7%
Medway Middle School	102	110	92.7%
Lee/Winn School	90	94	95.7%
Schenck High School	89	93	95.7%
Hichborn Middle School	83	88	94.3%
Indian Island School	2	83	2.4%
Alton Elementary School	77	81	95.1%
Mt. Jefferson Junior High School	71	75	94.7%
Viola Rand School	63	72	87.5%
Newburgh Elementary School	44	49	89.8%
Kingman Elementary School	14	14	100%