South Maine News

There were 22,616 white students enrolled in York County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 0.2% less than the previous year, according to the Maine Department of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 87.9% of the 25,735 students in York County schools at the time. They were the most represented ethnicity.

Among the 60 schools in the county, Thornton Academy recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 1,217 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	White Students Enrollment	Total Enrollment	% of Total Enrollment
Thornton Academy	1,217	1,485	82%
Noble High School	1,061	1,168	90.8%
Sanford High School	906	1,042	86.9%
Sanford Middle School	795	935	85%
Massabesic High School	844	887	95.2%
Kennebunk High School	676	746	90.6%
Bonny Eagle Middle School	670	725	92.4%
Biddeford High School	562	707	79.5%
Marshwood High School	622	671	92.7%
Biddeford Middle School	479	640	74.8%
Massabesic Middle School	572	609	93.9%
C. K. Burns School	509	593	85.8%
Saco Middle School	481	581	82.8%
Wells Elementary School	508	559	90.9%
Buxton Center Elementary School	507	552	91.8%
Waterboro Elementary School	480	513	93.6%
York High School	470	500	94%
Middle School of the Kennebunks	444	479	92.7%
Marshwood Middle School	434	465	93.3%
York Middle School	427	462	92.4%
Wells Junior High School	406	435	93.3%
Margaret Chase Smith	362	432	83.8%
Noble Middle School	389	422	92.2%
Carl J. Lamb School	358	420	85.2%
Wells High School	368	410	89.8%
Central School	344	375	91.7%
Shapleigh School	302	372	81.2%
Kennebunk Elementary School	334	366	91.3%
Sanford Pride Elementary School	300	363	82.6%
Vivian E. Hussey School	309	363	85.1%
Biddeford Intermediate School	278	354	78.5%
Biddeford Primary School	245	354	69.2%
Coastal Ridge Elementary School	314	349	90%
Sea Road School	286	321	89.1%
Horace Mitchell Primary School	247	314	78.7%
Governor John Fairfield School	249	306	81.4%
Line Elementary School	279	298	93.6%
Marshwood Great Works School	274	295	92.9%
Young School	247	295	83.7%
Eliot Elementary School	268	294	91.2%
Hollis School	271	292	92.8%
Loranger Memorial School	239	289	82.7%
Robert W. Traip Academy	226	271	83.4%
John F. Kennedy Memorial School	188	270	69.6%
Hanson School	254	263	96.6%
North Berwick Elementary School	236	258	91.5%
Acton Elementary School	223	240	92.9%
Eric L. Knowlton School	214	238	89.9%
Lyman Elementary School	207	232	89.2%
H. B. Emery Jr. Memorial School	199	211	94.3%
Mildred L. Day School	194	208	93.3%
Village Elementary School-York	187	205	91.2%
Alfred Elementary School	185	204	90.7%
Old Orchard Beach High School	175	200	87.5%
Jameson Elementary School	146	182	80.2%
Kennebunkport Consolidated School	157	179	87.7%
Lebanon Elementary School	146	152	96.1%
Shapleigh Memorial School	141	152	92.8%
Dayton Consolidated School	110	117	94%
Saco Pre-K	95	115	82.6%