River Valley Today

There were 14,676 white students enrolled in Kennebec County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 0.5% less than the previous year, according to the Maine Department of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 91.1% of the 16,108 students in Kennebec County schools at the time. They were the most represented ethnicity.

Among the 52 schools in the county, Messalonskee High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 653 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
Messalonskee High School	653	709	92.1%
Cony	612	661	92.6%
Gardiner Area High School	568	604	94%
George J. Mitchell School	465	562	82.7%
Erskine Academy	513	558	91.9%
Benton Elementary School	500	542	92.3%
Winslow Elementary School	478	540	88.5%
Hall-Dale Middle and High School	474	511	92.8%
Waterville Senior High School	412	491	83.9%
Gardiner Regional Middle School	416	449	92.7%
Messalonskee Middle School	417	445	93.7%
Vassalboro Community School	374	402	93%
Maine Virtual Academy	334	390	85.6%
Monmouth Memorial School	356	388	91.8%
Winthrop Grade School	360	383	94%
Winslow High School	329	366	89.9%
Maranacook Community High School	327	347	94.2%
Sylvio J. Gilbert School	294	344	85.5%
Waterville Junior High School	286	336	85.1%
Cony Middle School	287	321	89.4%
Farrington School	275	309	89%
Maranacook Community Middle School	297	306	97.1%
Lincoln School	271	293	92.5%
James H. Bean School	269	283	95.1%
Windsor Elementary School	260	281	92.5%
Chelsea Elementary School	265	274	96.7%
Hall-Dale Elementary School	231	268	86.2%
Lillian Parks Hussey School	218	262	83.2%
Clinton Elementary School	215	247	87%
China Primary School	224	245	91.4%
Helen Thompson School	233	244	95.5%
Laura E. Richards School	232	242	95.9%
Ralph M. Atwood Primary School	216	237	91.1%
Belgrade Central School	215	232	92.7%
Williams Elementary School	214	227	94.3%
Winthrop Middle School	207	225	92%
Albert S. Hall School	177	218	81.2%
Readfield Elementary School	204	216	94.4%
Winthrop High School	195	212	92%
Maine Arts Academy School	184	206	89.3%
China Middle School	176	192	91.7%
Pittston-Randolph Consolidated School	181	190	95.3%
Monmouth Academy	171	186	91.9%
Manchester Elementary School	170	182	93.4%
Carrie Ricker School	169	181	93.4%
River View Community School	160	176	90.9%
Winslow Junior High School	163	173	94.2%
Libby-Tozier School	132	140	94.3%
Albion Elementary School	100	102	98%
Mt. Vernon Elementary School	79	84	94%
Fayette Central School	59	63	93.7%
Wayne Elementary School	59	63	93.7%