Belfast Area High School

Q: Is Belfast Area High School a good school?

Belfast Area High School ranks 56 th of 123 Maine high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Belfast Area High School is a public high school serving 496 students in grades 9-12 in Belfast, Maine, which is part of the Regional School Unit 20. While the school has a predominantly white student population, it faces challenges in academic performance, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism compared to nearby high schools.

Academically, Belfast Area High School has seen declining proficiency rates in English Language Arts (58.89%), Mathematics (45.35%), and Science (37.89%) on the Maine Educational Assessment, falling below the state averages and the performance of schools like Camden Hills Regional High School and Bucksport High School. The school's four-year graduation rate, ranging from 88.6% to 88.8% over the past three years, is also lower than nearby schools. Additionally, Belfast Area High School has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 21.8% to 38.3% in the last two years, which is higher than the rates at Camden Hills Regional High School and Bucksport High School.

The relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at Belfast Area High School, ranging from 37.3% to 41.15%, suggests that the school may be serving a more economically disadvantaged student population compared to some nearby schools like Camden Hills Regional High School (19.75%). This socioeconomic factor could be a contributing factor to the school's academic and attendance challenges, and addressing these needs should be a priority for the school and the Regional School Unit 20.

Detail:

Public 9-12

25 Lions Way
Belfast, ME 04915

(207) 338-1790

District: Regional School Unit 71

SchoolDigger Rank:
56^th of 123 Maine High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,342

Student/teacher ratio: 11.9

Number of students: 478

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.5%

Two or more races:

6.5%

Hispanic:

3.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 40.4%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Belfast Area High School ranks better than 54.5% of high schools in Maine. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 42.32. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Belfast Area High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

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 (88.5%), two or more races (6.5%), Hispanic (3.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 40.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Belfast Area High School is 11.9. (See more...)

Compare Belfast Area High School employs 40 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Belfast Area High School is $18,342.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Belfast Area High School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Belfast Area High School 56^th of 123 Maine public high schools. (See Belfast Area High School in the ranking list.)

Regional School Unit 71:

SchoolDigger ranks Regional School Unit 71 98^th of 177 Maine school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Belfast Area High School

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Rank History for all students at Belfast Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile
2016	53.38	44^th	111	60.4%
2017	63.90	33^rd	111	70.3%
2018	51.34	43^rd	114	62.3%
2019	66.97	28^th	114	75.4%
2021	71.87	38^th	82	53.7%
2022	44.21	70^th	98	28.6%
2023	42.32	56^th	123	54.5%

See the entire list of Maine High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Belfast Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	51.34	38^th	76	50.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at Belfast Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	51.99	35^th	92	62.0%

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

Rank History for Male students at Belfast Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	69.00	23^rd	92	75.0%

See the entire list of Best Maine High Schools for Male 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

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Enrollment information for Belfast Area High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2016	490	2	5	6	2	0	10	515
2017	458	0	5	11	1	1	11	487
2018	472	2	7	11	1	1	15	509
2019	454	3	7	8	1	1	17	491
2020	448	5	11	7	1	1	16	489
2021	457	6	6	5	0	0	19	493
2022	421	5	3	13	1	0	26	469
2023	438	2	7	17	0	0	32	496
2024	423	3	6	15	0	0	31	478

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 Belfast Area High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2016	515	44.0	11.7	42.3
2017	487	40.5	12.0	50.1
2018	509	38.0	13.3	48.3
2019	491	40.5	12.1	48.5
2020	489	40.0	12.2	38.9
2021	493	40.0	12.3	39.1
2022	469	39.5	11.8	41.2
2023	496	39.0	12.7	37.3
2024	478	40.0	11.9	40.4

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 Belfast Area High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2016	515	44.0	11.7	42.3
2017	487	40.5	12.0	50.1
2018	509	38.0	13.3	48.3
2019	491	40.5	12.1	48.5
2020	489	40.0	12.2	38.9
2021	493	40.0	12.3	39.1
2022	469	39.5	11.8	41.2
2023	496	39.0	12.7	37.3
2024	478	40.0	11.9	40.4

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 Belfast Area High School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$15,631
2019	$14,800
2020	$17,057
2021	$18,442
2022	$19,725
2023	$18,342

Data source: Maine Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Belfast Area High 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 28^th of 114 High schools	Ranks 56^th of 123 High schools	21%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	491	496	1%
African American	3	2	33.3%
American Indian	1	0	100%
Asian	7	7
Hispanic	8	17	112.5%
Pacific Islander	1	0	100%
White	454	438	3.5%
Two or More Races	17	32	88.2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	48.5%	37.3%	11.2%

Schools Near Belfast Area High 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
Belfast Area High School	Public	9-12	25 Lions Way	Belfast	04915	Waldo County	Regional School Unit 71	No	No	No	No	(207) 338-1790	478	40	11.9	40.4%	423 (88.5%)	3 (0.6%)	15 (3.1%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.5%)	42.3	56^th of 123 public high schools	54.5%		44.2	70^th of 98 public high schools	28.6%	14	58.9	45.4	37.9	$18,342
Searsport District High School	Public	9-12	24 Mortland Road	Searsport	04974	Waldo County	Regional School Unit 20	No	No	No	No	(207) 548-2313	125	16	7.9	59.2%	118 (94.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	15.7	113^th of 123 public high schools	8.1%					(n/a)	54.6	32.3	20.8	$28,509
Mt View High School	Public	9-12	577 Mount View Road	Thorndike	04986	Waldo County	Regional School Unit 03/Maine School Admin District 03	No	No	No	No	(207) 568-3255	291	25	11.5	54.0%	280 (96.2%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	11.5	116^th of 123 public high schools	5.7%		34	78^th of 98 public high schools	20.4%	38	40.8	24.5	25.7	$17,255
Bucksport High School	Public	9-12	102 Broadway	Bucksport	04416	Hancock County	Regional School Unit 25	No	No	No	No	(207) 469-6650	359	27	13.3	41.5%	325 (90.5%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.3%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	16 (4.5%)	59.8	28^th of 123 public high schools	77.2%		86.4	6^th of 98 public high schools	93.9%	22	64.0	54.6	42.3	$18,228
Camden Hills Regional High School	Public	9-12	25 Keelson Drive	Rockport	04856	Knox County	Five Town Central School District	No	No	No	No	(207) 236-7800	745	59	12.7	19.1%	707 (94.9%)	7 (0.9%)	17 (2.3%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	6 (0.8%)	89.9	5^th of 123 public high schools	95.9%		81.8	14^th of 98 public high schools	85.7%	9	77.6	63.8	66.2	$19,870

Frequently Asked Questions about Belfast Area High School

How many students attend Belfast Area High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 478 students attended Belfast Area High School.

What district is Belfast Area High School in?

Regional School Unit 71

Is Belfast Area High School a good school?

Belfast Area High School ranks 56^th of 123 Maine high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Belfast Area High School?

Students at Belfast Area High School are 88% White, 6% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

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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.