Photo: Pi.1415926535 · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Foster, RI: what to set up and who to call
Voting is local here: the Foster Board of Canvassers registers voters and runs elections, not the county. Two school districts split the grades in Foster: Foster Elementary School District and Foster-Glocester Region School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Foster, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Foster.
Power comes from Rhode Island Energy
Rhode Island Energy (The Narragansett Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Foster. Its homes paid an average of 29.4¢ per kWh in 2025, about $166 a month (its average across Rhode Island, for customers on its standard service). Rhode Island lets you buy power from another supplier; 26% of Rhode Island Energy’s home customers do, and Rhode Island Energy still delivers it.
Start or move service: www1.nationalgridus.com · (401) 784-7000
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Abbey Lane Community Assn., Inc. water system
The Abbey Lane Community Assn., Inc. water system supplies Foster: about 1% of residents live in its service area. About 99% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 45 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 11,392 systems serving <=100 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2023, was 1.8 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 69% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. RI1000009.
4 home internet providers serve Foster
85% of 1,839 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 81% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 81% | 980/880 |
| Cox Communications | Cable | 12% | 2,000/35 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 26% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 2% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Foster
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Foster, from the town’s own site.
Accepted at the curb
- Glass
- Metal
- Paper products
We couldn’t find pickup days or drop-off hours. Check townoffosterri.gov →
From townoffosterri.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Foster is in two districts that split the grades: Foster Elementary School District and Foster-Glocester Region School District.
B+School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Foster spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Foster residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Foster | ZIP’s residents in Foster |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02825 | Foster, RI | 95% | 81% |
| 02857 | North Scituate, RI | 5% | 3% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Foster
Who supplies Foster’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Abbey Lane Community Assn., Inc. water system (EPA ID RI1000009). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.8 ppb (Jan–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Foster?
Rhode Island Energy (The Narragansett Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 29.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Foster?
Verizon, Cox Communications, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Foster?
02825 (95%), 02857 (5%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Foster in?
Foster Elementary School District and Foster-Glocester Region School District.
How do I register to vote in Foster?
In Rhode Island you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Foster Board of Canvassers. Check your registration at vote.sos.ri.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: Foster’s own website (townoffosterri.gov), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.