Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Damariscotta

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Damariscotta, MainePhoto: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0
A−
Schools in Damariscotta · Damariscotta, Great Salt Bay Community School District

Damariscotta’s public schools outscore 81% of Maine districts

The grade covers the public school district serving Damariscotta, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Maine, not nationally.

K–12Where will my kid go?

From Maine state tests taken in spring 2022, when 100% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2020’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
89%
▲ 5 pts vs ME 84%
2021–22
Math proficiency
87%
▲ 6 pts vs ME 82%
2021–22
Spent per student
$20.1K
▼ 2% vs ME $20.6K
FY2024 · Great Salt Bay
Students per teacher
10.8
ME 11.3
Schools in town
1
397 students on the public path
In brief

Damariscotta’s schools, in brief

Better than its incomes would predict

Among the 286 Maine towns with household incomes within a quarter of Damariscotta’s, its schools beat 94%, higher than their 81% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Above the state on tests

Reading proficiency is 89% and math 87% in spring 2022, against 84% and 82% statewide. Test scores ↓

Spending and class size

Damariscotta spends $1,674 per student and Great Salt Bay $20,132, against $20,630 across Maine (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2020; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Damariscotta’s grade

A− Test scores

A−: better than 81% of Maine school districts. Test scores are above the Maine average; there is no graduation rate to add.

Maine school districts we grade (177)Better than 81%
Lower resultsHigher results
Maine towns with similar household incomes (286)Better than 94%
Towns in Lincoln County (16)Better than 44%
BAA fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 268 test results could put Damariscotta anywhere from B to A. The tests are from spring 2022, when 100% of Damariscotta’s students in the tested grades sat them (267 in math, 268 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Damariscotta, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
PK–8Great Salt Bay Community SchoolGreat Salt Bay Community School DistrictA−

To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

Two districts serve Damariscotta

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

DamariscottaGrades · 0 schools · 0 students
$1,674ME $20,630 · FY2024
Great Salt Bay Community School DistrictGrades PK–8 · 1 schools · 397 students, up 4% since 2020–21 · 10.8 per teacher (ME 11.3)
$20,132ME $20,630 · FY2024
A−
Test scores · 2021–22

Above the state in reading

Reading · , Damariscotta75%
State average 85% · 14 students tested · the state reports 50–100%
Math · , Damariscotta75%
State average 81.3% · 13 students tested · the state reports 50–100%
Reading · PK–8, Great Salt Bay Community School District89%
State average 84.1% · 268 students tested
Math · PK–8, Great Salt Bay Community School District87%
State average 81.5% · 267 students tested

Damariscotta vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the Maine towns that share Damariscotta’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
DamariscottaA−Great Salt Bay PK–8 · Damariscotta
NewcastleA−Great Salt Bay PK–8 · Newcastle
Bremen—Great Salt Bay PK–8 · Bremen
NobleboroA−Nobleboro
BristolA+Bristol
WaldoboroCSchool Administrative District 40

2 of the 5 neighbors share Great Salt Bay with Damariscotta for grades PK–8, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.

Every school in Damariscotta

1 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Maine’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

District schools in Damariscottaby address
Great Salt Bay Community School
Elementary · Grades PK–8
A−
397 students11:1Rate it →

Questions about Damariscotta’s schools

Are Damariscotta’s schools good?

By Maine’s own tests, yes: the public schools Damariscotta children attend outscore 81% of Maine’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A− Schools grade. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 94%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2020.

What school district is Damariscotta in?

Damariscotta, which runs grades and enrolls 0 students in 0 schools (2024–25).

How much does Damariscotta spend per student?

$1,674 in Damariscotta and $20,132 in Great Salt Bay Community School District (FY2024), against $20,630 across Maine. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Damariscotta families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Damariscotta → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2020) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Maine. Stars are from neighbors.