Mid Coast Today

Waldo County schools welcomed 3,861 students in the 2023-24 school year, 2.5% less 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, 50.1% of the students enrolled in the 2023-24 school year were girls, and 49.9% were boys, 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 93% of the Waldo County student body.

Within the county, Belfast Area High School had the highest enrollment in the school year, welcoming 460 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
Ames Elementary School	124	127	2.4%
Belfast Area High School	490	460	-6.1%
Captain Albert W. Stevens School	252	247	-2%
East Belfast School	99	83	-16.2%
Ecology Learning Center	99	103	4%
Edna Drinkwater School	82	89	8.5%
Gladys Weymouth Elementary School	77	72	-6.5%
Islesboro Central School	78	76	-2.6%
Kermit S. Nickerson School	54	56	3.7%
Leroy H. Smith School	264	266	0.8%
Lincolnville Central School	203	212	4.4%
Monroe Elementary School	66	53	-19.7%
Morse Memorial School	101	104	3%
Mt. View Elementary School	217	215	-0.9%
Mt. View High School	295	278	-5.8%
Mt. View Middle School	222	230	3.6%
Palermo Consolidated School	120	109	-9.2%
Samuel L. Wagner Middle School	208	196	-5.8%
Searsport District High School	128	118	-7.8%
Searsport District Middle School	92	107	16.3%
Searsport Elementary School	209	186	-11%
Troy A. Howard Middle School	348	344	-1.1%
Troy Central School	52	51	-1.9%
Unity Elementary School	20	29	45%
Walker Memorial School	62	50	-19.4%