Mid Coast Today

Waldo County schools welcomed 3,962 students in the 2022-23 school year, 0.9% more than the previous year, according to the Maine Department of Education.

Waldo County had the second least enrollment numbers in the state.

According to the data, 50.2% of the students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year were boys, and 49.8% were girls, and less than 0.1% did not specify their gender or identify with either category.

Most of the students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year were white, representing 92.9% of the Waldo County student body.

Within the county, Belfast Area High School had the highest enrollment in the school year, welcoming 490 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 2021-22	Total Enrollment in 2022-23	% Change
Ames Elementary School	124	124	0%
Belfast Area High School	441	490	11.1%
Captain Albert W. Stevens School	252	252	0%
East Belfast School	87	99	13.8%
Ecology Learning Center	76	99	30.3%
Edna Drinkwater School	103	82	-20.4%
Gladys Weymouth Elementary School	78	77	-1.3%
Islesboro Central School	85	78	-8.2%
Kermit S. Nickerson School	71	54	-23.9%
Leroy H. Smith School	253	264	4.3%
Lincolnville Central School	203	203	0%
Monroe Elementary School	65	66	1.5%
Morse Memorial School	99	101	2%
Mt. View Elementary School	199	217	9%
Mt. View High School	296	295	-0.3%
Mt. View Middle School	239	222	-7.1%
Palermo Consolidated School	131	120	-8.4%
Samuel L. Wagner Middle School	222	208	-6.3%
Searsport District High School	136	128	-5.9%
Searsport District Middle School	97	92	-5.2%
Searsport Elementary School	203	209	3%
Troy A. Howard Middle School	332	348	4.8%
Troy Central School	50	52	4%
Unity Elementary School	20	20	0%
Walker Memorial School	64	62	-3.1%