ME Commissioner of Education Pender Makin 2023 | Maine Department of Education
ME Commissioner of Education Pender Makin 2023 | Maine Department of Education
Data showed that Black or African American students made up 0.9% of the 8,527 students in Oxford County schools at the time. They were the third least represented ethnicity.
Among the 31 schools in the county, Mountain Valley High School recorded the highest enrollment of Black or African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 12 students.
Recent data from Maine's public schools for the 2023-2024 school year reveal a noticeable growth in Hispanic, Black and multiracial enrollment over the past decade. While over 85% of students still identify as white, this shows a slow but steady increase in diversity within the state schools.
Despite these shifts, Maine's public school enrollment remains about 4% below pre-pandemic levels, despite a slight rebound from the sharp drop during the 2020-21 school year. The decline is partly due to an increase in homeschooling and more students completing high school early through college courses and adult education.
A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Education also mentioned in an interview with Maine Public some other 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."
| School Name | Black or African American Students Enrollment | Total Enrollment | % of Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School | 7 | 1,017 | 0.7% |
| Fryeburg Academy | 11 | 607 | 1.8% |
| Molly Ockett School | 4 | 555 | 0.7% |
| Oxford Hills Middle School | 4 | 472 | 0.8% |
| Guy E. Rowe School | 7 | 400 | 1.8% |
| Paris Elementary School | 3 | 392 | 0.8% |
| Mountain Valley High School | 12 | 364 | 3.3% |
| Mountain Valley Middle School | 5 | 352 | 1.4% |
| Sacopee Valley Elementary School | 1 | 351 | 0.3% |
| Dirigo Elementary School | 5 | 349 | 1.4% |
| Oxford Elementary School | 3 | 337 | 0.9% |
| Sacopee Valley Middle School | 1 | 334 | 0.3% |
| Hartford-Sumner Elementary School | 0 | 290 | -- |
| Crescent Park School | 2 | 279 | 0.7% |
| Sacopee Valley High School | 1 | 275 | 0.4% |
| Rumford Elementary School | 1 | 247 | 0.4% |
| Meroby Elementary School | 3 | 244 | 1.2% |
| Dirigo High School | 2 | 222 | 0.9% |
| Buckfield Junior-Senior High School | 1 | 221 | 0.5% |
| T. W. Kelly Dirigo Middle School | 1 | 171 | 0.6% |
| Telstar Middle School | 1 | 168 | 0.6% |
| Telstar High School | 0 | 166 | -- |
| Agnes Gray School | 1 | 126 | 0.8% |
| Otisfield Community School | 0 | 119 | -- |
| Hebron Station School | 3 | 98 | 3.1% |
| New Suncook School | 0 | 98 | -- |
| Waterford Memorial School | 0 | 94 | -- |
| Denmark Elementary School | 1 | 77 | 1.3% |
| Woodstock School | 1 | 58 | 1.7% |
| Andover Elementary School | 0 | 30 | -- |
| The Eddy Middle School | 0 | 14 | -- |
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