Waterville Public Schools

The Waterville Public Schools district in Maine consists of 4 schools serving grades K-12, including 2 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school. While the district faces significant challenges, with its schools consistently underperforming and serving a population with high rates of socioeconomic disadvantage, there are also some positive factors, such as smaller class sizes and a degree of racial diversity.

The standout school in the district is Waterville Senior High School, which is ranked 58th out of 123 Maine high schools and maintains a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger, the highest in the district. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 36.8%. In contrast, George J Mitchell School, the largest school with 572 students, has the lowest rating of 1 star from SchoolDigger, despite having the lowest student-teacher ratio of 13.1.

Across the district, the schools have a majority white student population, ranging from 80.18% to 84.2%, with relatively low percentages of African American and Asian students. Chronic absenteeism rates are high, ranging from 30.5% to 36.8%, and free and reduced lunch rates are also high, ranging from 48.94% to 71.15%. These factors suggest that the Waterville Public Schools district serves a population with significant socioeconomic challenges, which may be contributing to the overall underperformance of the schools.