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A+

Mount Desert

Public school districtGrades PK–8

Serves Mount Desert.

Mount Desert’s School Grade A+ better than 95% of Maine school districts

Students
161
Schools
1
Spent per student
$31,057
ME $20,630
Students per teacher
7:1
Free or reduced lunch
24%
The gist

What stands out about Mount Desert

  • Its letter, A+: results better than 99% of Maine districts
  • Math proficiency 16 pts above the state
  • Reading proficiency 13 pts above the state
  • Spends 51% more per student than the ME average
  • 7 students per teacher
  • Enrollment up 15.8% since 2020–21
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

A+: better than 99% of the 177 Maine school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well above the state, 2021–22
A+
The town it serves, and its School Grade
A+Mount Desert 2,214

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Mount Desert. Grade by grade →

PK–8Mt Desert Elementary SchoolThis district
9–12Mt Desert Island High SchoolMount Desert Community School District

Test scores vs. ME

2021–22
Math proficiency95–100%
State average 81.5% · 105 students tested
Reading / language arts95–100%
State average 84.1% · 104 students tested

98% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Graduation rate 87% at Mt Desert CSD, which runs the high school (state 87.3%) · class of 2023.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$31,057 per student · 51% above ME
Spending
Classroom instruction 56%Support & administration 39%Other 5%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 87%State 11%Federal 2%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
139’20
145’21
153’22
159’23
161’24

Up 15.8% since 2020–21.

Students
White 86%Two or more races 9%Hispanic 5%

Schools in the district

1 public school. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Maine’s other public schools.

Mt Desert Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–8 · Northeast Harbor
A
161 students7:1

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

Mount Desert Community School DistrictBar Harbor, Southwest Harbor, Tremont
$27,878per student
Bar HarborBar Harbor
$26,121per student
Blue HillBlue Hill
$12,838per student
Cranberry IslesCranberry Isles
$39,308per student

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within Maine.