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Schools in Southwest Harbor · Mount Desert Community School District, Southwest Harbor

Southwest Harbor’s public schools outscore 86% of Maine districts

The grade covers the two public school districts serving Southwest Harbor, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. In Southwest Harbor, 92% of tested students are proficient in math, above the Maine average (82%). 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 86% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
92%
▲ 8 pts vs ME 84%
2021–22
Math proficiency
92%
▲ 11 pts vs ME 82%
2021–22
Graduate on time
85–89%
▼ 2–2 pts vs ME 87%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$27.9K
▲ 35% vs ME $20.6K
FY2024 · Mount Desert
Students per teacher
7.4
ME 11.3 · smaller classes
Schools in town
1
580 students on the public path
In brief

Southwest Harbor’s schools, in brief

Better than its incomes would predict

Among the 285 Maine towns with household incomes within a quarter of Southwest Harbor’s, its schools beat 98%, higher than their 86% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Southwest Harbor runs its own schools through grade 8, then shares

Pemetic Elementary School (PK–8) is Southwest Harbor’s own. From grade 9, students attend the Mount Desert Community School District with Bar Harbor, Mount Desert and Tremont: Mt Desert Island High School in Bar Harbor. The high school’s own results earn an A+, the highest on the path. See the path ↓

Above the state on tests

Reading proficiency is 92% and math 92% across both districts in spring 2022, against 84% and 82% statewide; 85–89% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 87%. Test scores ↓

Spending and class size

Mount Desert spends $27,878 per student and Southwest Harbor $37,828, 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 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Southwest Harbor’s grade

A Test scoresC+ Graduation

A: better than 86% of Maine school districts. Test scores are above the Maine average; graduation is below it.

Maine school districts we grade (177)Better than 86%
Lower resultsHigher results
Maine towns with similar household incomes (285)Better than 98%
Towns in Hancock County (31)Better than 84%
BA+A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 156 test results and a graduating class of 140 could put Southwest Harbor anywhere from B to A+. The tests are from spring 2022, when 86% of Southwest Harbor’s students in the tested grades sat them (155 in math, 157 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

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

The path, start to finish
PK–8Pemetic Elementary SchoolSouthwest HarborB+
9–12Mt Desert Island High Schoolin Bar HarborA+

Southwest Harbor runs its own schools through grade 8 (Southwest Harbor). From grade 9, students attend the Mount Desert Community School District, shared with Bar Harbor, Mount Desert and Tremont. Its high school is in Bar Harbor. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

Two districts serve Southwest Harbor

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

Mount Desert Community School DistrictGrades 9–12 · 1 schools · 453 students, down 15% since 2020–21 · 8.2 per teacher (ME 11.3)
$27,878ME $20,630 · FY2024
A
Southwest HarborGrades PK–8 · 1 schools · 127 students, up 6% since 2020–21 · 5.5 per teacher (ME 11.3)
$37,828ME $20,630 · FY2024
A−
Test scores · 2021–22

Well above the state in reading

Reading · 9–12, Mount Desert Community School District92%
State average 84.1% · 79 students tested
Math · 9–12, Mount Desert Community School District98%
State average 81.5% · 77 students tested
Reading · PK–8, Southwest Harbor92%
State average 84.1% · 78 students tested
Math · PK–8, Southwest Harbor87%
State average 81.5% · 78 students tested

Southwest Harbor vs. its neighbors

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

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
Southwest HarborASouthwest Harbor PK–8 · Mount Desert 9–12
TremontA−Tremont PK–8 · Mount Desert 9–12
Cranberry Isles—Cranberry Isles
Mount DesertA+Mount Desert PK–8 · Mount Desert 9–12
Frenchboro—Frenchboro

2 of the 4 neighbors share Mount Desert with Southwest Harbor for grades 9–12, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.

Every school in Southwest Harbor

2 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 Southwest Harborby address
Pemetic Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–8
B+
127 students5:1Rate it →
Also serving Southwest Harborin other towns
Mt Desert Island High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Bar Harbor
A+
453 students8:1Rate it →

Questions about Southwest Harbor’s schools

Are Southwest Harbor’s schools good?

By Maine’s own tests, yes: the public schools Southwest Harbor children attend outscore 86% of Maine’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A Schools grade. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 98%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Southwest Harbor in?

Two districts: Southwest Harbor runs grades PK–8, and Mount Desert Community School District runs grades 9–12, shared with Bar Harbor, Mount Desert and Tremont.

Where do Southwest Harbor kids go to high school?

Mt Desert Island High School in Bar Harbor, with 453 students; its own test results earn an A+.

What is Southwest Harbor’s graduation rate?

85–89% of the class of 2023 in Mount Desert Community School District graduated in four years, against 87% across Maine.

How much does Southwest Harbor spend per student?

$27,878 in Mount Desert Community School District and $37,828 in Southwest Harbor (FY2024), against $20,630 across Maine. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Southwest Harbor families are saying about school.

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

School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) 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.