James F. Doughty School

Q: Is James F. Doughty School a good school?

James F. Doughty School ranks 40 th of 96 Maine middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Summary:

James F. Doughty School is a public middle school in Bangor, Maine, serving 364 students in grades 6-8. The school stands out for its diverse student population, higher rates of chronic absenteeism and free/reduced lunch, and generally strong academic performance compared to the district and state averages.

One key differentiator is the school's racial diversity, with 21.15% of students being non-white, higher than the nearby William S. Cohen School (16.21%) and other surrounding schools. However, James F. Doughty School also faces challenges, such as a chronic absenteeism rate of 33.1%, significantly higher than the 17.3% rate at William S. Cohen School. Additionally, 63.74% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch, much higher than the 29.95% rate at William S. Cohen School and other nearby schools.

Despite these challenges, the school's academic performance is generally on par with or better than the Bangor Public Schools district and the state of Maine averages. In the 2022-2023 school year, the school's performance in English Language Arts (67.98%) and Science (46.67%) exceeded the district and state averages, while its Mathematics performance (40.51%) was lower than the district but still above the state average. However, the school's performance varies across different student subgroups, suggesting the need to address the needs of certain groups to improve overall outcomes. When compared to nearby schools, James F. Doughty School generally performs better than lower-ranked schools in the region but lags behind the higher-performing schools like William S. Cohen School and Reeds Brook Middle School.

Detail:

Public 6-8

143 Fifth Street
Bangor, ME 04401

(207) 941-6220

District: Bangor Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
40^th of 96 Maine Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $17,607

Students who attend James F. Doughty School usually attend:

High:

Bangor High School

Feeder schools for James F. Doughty School:

Elementary:	Downeast School
	Fairmount School
	Fourteenth Street School
	Vine Street School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.8

Number of students: 364

Racial breakdown:

White:

78.8%

Two or more races:

9.9%

Hispanic:

5.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 63.7%

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Compare James F. Doughty School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details James F. Doughty School ranks better than 58.3% of middle schools in Maine. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 50.55. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (78.8%), two or more races (9.9%), Hispanic (5.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 63.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at James F. Doughty School is 11.8. (See more...)

Compare James F. Doughty School employs 30.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at James F. Doughty School is $17,607.

Schooldigger Rankings:

James F. Doughty School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks James F. Doughty School 40^th of 96 Maine public middle schools. (See James F. Doughty School in the ranking list.)

Bangor Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Bangor Public Schools 39^th of 177 Maine school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for James F. Doughty School

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Rank History for all students at James F. Doughty School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ME State Percentile
2006	64.38	13^th	51	74.5%
2007	67.86	11^th	51	78.4%
2008	67.49	14^th	50	72.0%
2009	73.40	12^th	56	78.6%
2010	74.55	11^th	60	81.7%
2011	65.01	16^th	58	72.4%
2012	62.92	23^rd	86	73.3%
2013	60.58	24^th	87	72.4%
2015	66.13	30^th	97	69.1%
2016	53.31	30^th	85	64.7%
2017	58.91	28^th	87	67.8%
2018	76.85	16^th	85	81.2%
2019	69.33	17^th	86	80.2%
2021	32.95	67^th	92	27.2%
2022	35.86	68^th	93	26.9%
2023	50.55	40^th	96	58.3%

See the entire list of Maine Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at James F. Doughty School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	84.13	1^st	1	0.0%

See the entire list of Best Maine Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at James F. Doughty School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	81.40	7^th	64	89.1%
2021	38.50	41^st	66	37.9%

See the entire list of Best Maine Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at James F. Doughty School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	70.49	16^th	78	79.5%
2021	21.98	68^th	83	18.1%

See the entire list of Best Maine Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at James F. Doughty School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	62.12	20^th	78	74.4%
2021	36.41	53^rd	83	36.1%

See the entire list of Best Maine Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at James F. Doughty School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	70.65	13^th	33	60.6%
2021	45.04	28^th	44	36.4%

See the entire list of Best Maine Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Maine Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Maine Department of Education

Review counts

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100%

Reviews:
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Enrollment information for James F. Doughty School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1991	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	502	502
1992	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	503	503
1993	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	501	501
1994	482	5	12	6	3	n/a	n/a	-21	487
1995	449	1	3	3	3	n/a	n/a	0	459
1996	449	1	3	3	3	n/a	n/a	0	459
1997	447	5	6	1	5	n/a	n/a	0	464
1998	427	7	4	2	6	n/a	n/a	0	446
1999	462	7	4	5	3	n/a	n/a	0	481
2000	489	8	5	15	2	n/a	n/a	0	519
2001	487	8	11	14	13	n/a	n/a	0	533
2002	482	14	8	6	3	n/a	n/a	0	513
2003	482	14	8	6	3	n/a	n/a	0	513
2004	453	15	9	8	9	n/a	n/a	0	494
2005	431	14	3	14	6	n/a	n/a	0	468
2006	391	9	5	10	5	n/a	n/a	0	420
2007	346	13	9	3	3	n/a	n/a	0	374
2008	371	12	15	2	5	n/a	n/a	0	405
2009	390	12	9	6	9	n/a	n/a	0	426
2010	377	16	9	8	7	n/a	n/a	0	417
2011	346	12	6	5	9	0	5	0	383
2012	341	20	6	5	6	0	3	0	381
2013	342	17	6	8	5	0	16	0	394
2014	349	11	5	10	7	0	6	0	388
2015	359	5	6	12	7	0	6	0	395
2016	342	5	5	11	5	0	9	0	377
2017	355	11	4	12	7	0	9	0	398
2018	320	15	3	10	4	0	16	0	368
2019	330	15	3	14	2	0	25	0	389
2020	328	10	3	16	4	1	31	0	393
2021	303	11	3	20	5	1	37	0	380
2022	294	5	1	16	7	1	37	0	361
2023	287	7	4	19	11	0	36	0	364

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at James F. Doughty School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	502	38.0	13.2	n/a
1992	503	35.0	14.3	n/a
1993	501	31.3	16.0	37.9
1994	487	32.0	15.2	36.6
1995	459	31.8	14.4	38.8
1996	459	31.8	14.4	38.8
1997	464	31.0	15.0	35.6
1998	446	30.7	14.5	39.2
1999	481	33.9	14.2	46.2
2000	519	32.9	15.8	35.8
2001	533	33.0	16.2	41.3
2002	513	30.0	17.1	46.8
2003	513	30.0	17.1	46.8
2004	494	29.0	17.0	48.8
2005	468	36.0	13.0	47.4
2006	420	34.4	12.2	45.2
2007	374	35.0	10.7	48.1
2008	405	51.3	7.9	48.9
2009	426	33.0	12.9	55.9
2010	417	29.8	13.9	59.2
2011	383	31.5	12.1	62.9
2012	381	31.5	12.0	6.3
2013	394	31.4	12.5	61.7
2014	388	31.2	12.4	61.1
2015	395	30.0	13.1	62.8
2016	377	30.0	12.5	62.6
2017	398	32.1	12.3	64.8
2018	368	32.1	11.4	70.7
2019	389	33.1	11.7	70.4
2020	393	30.1	13.0	59.5
2021	380	30.1	12.6	61.6
2022	361	30.6	11.7	56.8
2023	364	30.6	11.8	63.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio James F. Doughty School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	502	38.0	13.2	n/a
1992	503	35.0	14.3	n/a
1993	501	31.3	16.0	37.9
1994	487	32.0	15.2	36.6
1995	459	31.8	14.4	38.8
1996	459	31.8	14.4	38.8
1997	464	31.0	15.0	35.6
1998	446	30.7	14.5	39.2
1999	481	33.9	14.2	46.2
2000	519	32.9	15.8	35.8
2001	533	33.0	16.2	41.3
2002	513	30.0	17.1	46.8
2003	513	30.0	17.1	46.8
2004	494	29.0	17.0	48.8
2005	468	36.0	13.0	47.4
2006	420	34.4	12.2	45.2
2007	374	35.0	10.7	48.1
2008	405	51.3	7.9	48.9
2009	426	33.0	12.9	55.9
2010	417	29.8	13.9	59.2
2011	383	31.5	12.1	62.9
2012	381	31.5	12.0	6.3
2013	394	31.4	12.5	61.7
2014	388	31.2	12.4	61.1
2015	395	30.0	13.1	62.8
2016	377	30.0	12.5	62.6
2017	398	32.1	12.3	64.8
2018	368	32.1	11.4	70.7
2019	389	33.1	11.7	70.4
2020	393	30.1	13.0	59.5
2021	380	30.1	12.6	61.6
2022	361	30.6	11.7	56.8
2023	364	30.6	11.8	63.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for James F. Doughty School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$14,107
2019	$13,716
2020	$13,248
2021	$15,674
2022	$15,755
2023	$17,607

Data source: Maine Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on James F. Doughty School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 17^th of 86 Middle schools	Ranks 40^th of 96 Middle schools	21.9%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
All Grades English Language Arts (James F. Doughty School)	67.8	81.3	13.4%
All Grades English Language Arts (Bangor Public Schools)	69.1	86.6	17.5%
All Grades English Language Arts (Maine)	55.9	83.8	27.9%
All Grades Mathematics (James F. Doughty School)	37.7	80.1	42.4%
All Grades Mathematics (Bangor Public Schools)	52.4	85.7	33.4%
All Grades Mathematics (Maine)	35.7	81.3	45.7%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	389	364	6.4%
African American	15	7	53.3%
American Indian	2	11	450%
Asian	3	4	33.3%
Hispanic	14	19	35.7%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	330	287	13%
Two or More Races	25	36	44%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	70.4%	63.7%	6.7%

Schools Near James F. Doughty School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				MEA English Language Arts (2023)	MEA Mathematics (2023)	MEA Science (2023)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MEA English Language Arts All Grades	MEA Mathematics All Grades	MEA Science All Grades	Total
James F. Doughty School	Public	6-8	143 Fifth Street	Bangor	04401	Penobscot County	Bangor Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 941-6220	364	31	11.8	63.7%	287 (78.8%)	7 (1.9%)	19 (5.2%)	4 (1.1%)	11 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.9%)	50.5	40^th of 96 public middle schools	58.3%		35.9	68^th of 93 public middle schools	26.9%	28	68.0	40.5	46.7	$17,607
William S. Cohen School	Public	6-8	304 Garland Street	Bangor	04401	Penobscot County	Bangor Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 941-6230	364	30	12.0	29.9%	305 (83.8%)	12 (3.3%)	18 (4.9%)	10 (2.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.9%)	88.2	9^th of 96 public middle schools	90.6%		85.8	9^th of 93 public middle schools	90.3%		76.5	65.1	69.7	$16,856
Reeds Brook Middle School	Public	6-8	28A Main Road South	Hampden	04444	Penobscot County	Regional School Unit 22	No	No	No	No	(207) 862-3540	345	24	14.6	24.1%	316 (91.6%)	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.2%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	16 (4.6%)	94.4	5^th of 96 public middle schools	94.8%		90.8	6^th of 93 public middle schools	93.5%	1	85.0	68.7	71.2	$14,947
Hermon Middle School	Public	5-8	29 Billings Road	Hermon	04401	Penobscot County	Hermon Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 848-4070	329	25	13.2	24.3%	302 (91.8%)	3 (0.9%)	8 (2.4%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.3%)	55.9	31^st of 96 public middle schools	67.7%		38.6	63^rd of 93 public middle schools	32.3%	32	67.9	47.6	40.5	$13,714
Orono Middle School	Public	6-8	10 Goodridge Drive	Orono	04473	Penobscot County	Regional School Unit 26	No	No	No	No	(207) 866-2350	154	15	10.5	27.3%	136 (88.3%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.9%)	4 (2.6%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.2%)	88.2	10^th of 96 public middle schools	89.6%		78.3	16^th of 93 public middle schools	82.8%	6	88.2	59.0	79.6	$20,126
Holbrook School	Public	5-8	202 Kidder Hill Road	Holden	04429	Penobscot County	Regional School Unit 63/Maine School Admin District 63	No	No	No	No	(207) 843-7769	199	19	10.5	23.1%	184 (92.5%)	4 (2.0%)	3 (1.5%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.5%)	65.3	20^th of 96 public middle schools	79.2%		66.3	28^th of 93 public middle schools	69.9%	8	69.7	51.9	45.3	$18,190
Leonard Middle School	Public	6-8	156 Oak Street	Old Town	04468	Penobscot County	Regional School Unit 34	No	No	No	No	(207) 827-3900	306	27	11.2	48.7%	268 (87.6%)	4 (1.3%)	10 (3.3%)	5 (1.6%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.9%)	29.4	74^th of 96 public middle schools	22.9%		36.1	67^th of 93 public middle schools	28.0%	7	54.9	40.2	40.0	$17,643
Samuel L Wagner Middle School	Public	5-8	19 Williams Way	Winterport	04496	Waldo County	Regional School Unit 22	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 223-4309	213	17	12.5	47.4%	199 (93.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.3%)	51.9	36^th of 96 public middle schools	62.5%		47.4	55^th of 93 public middle schools	40.9%	19	67.3	47.2	35.0	$16,704
Caravel Middle School	Public	5-8	520 Irish Road	Carmel	04419	Penobscot County	Regional School Unit 87/Maine School Admin District 23	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 848-3615	203	17	12.2	40.9%	189 (93.1%)	1 (0.5%)	4 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.9%)	43.3	55^th of 96 public middle schools	42.7%		61	36^th of 93 public middle schools	61.3%	19	61.9	45.4	37.2	$15,703
Bucksport Middle School	Public	5-8	100 Miles Lane	Bucksport	04416	Hancock County	Regional School Unit 25	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 469-6647	282	28	10.1	45.0%	260 (92.2%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (1.8%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.6%)	38.7	62^nd of 96 public middle schools	35.4%		37.7	64^th of 93 public middle schools	31.2%	2	65.9	37.3	31.6	$18,669

Frequently Asked Questions about James F. Doughty School

What high school do graduates of James F. Doughty School attend?

Students who attend James F. Doughty School usually go on to attend Bangor High School

What district is James F. Doughty School in?

Bangor Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of James F. Doughty School?

Students at James F. Doughty School are 79% White, 10% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 3% American Indian, 2% African American, 1% Asian.

Is James F. Doughty School a good school?

James F. Doughty School ranks 40^th of 96 Maine middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend James F. Doughty School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 364 students attended James F. Doughty School.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Maine Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.