Aroostook News

There were 7,635 white students enrolled in Aroostook County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 0.4% less than the previous year, according to the Maine Department of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 88.9% of the 8,585 students in Aroostook County schools at the time. They were the most represented ethnicity.

Among the 37 schools in the county, Caribou Community School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 648 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
Caribou Community School	648	763	84.9%
Fort Kent Elementary School	422	460	91.7%
Presque Isle High School	403	460	87.6%
Caribou High School	383	435	88%
Pine Street Elementary School	323	383	84.3%
Presque Isle Middle School	301	349	86.2%
So Aroostook School	312	331	94.3%
Houlton High School	278	330	84.2%
Mill Pond School	268	304	88.2%
Houlton Southside School	251	302	83.1%
Houlton Junior High School	239	295	81%
Houlton Elementary School	241	283	85.2%
Eva Hoyt Zippel School	220	259	84.9%
Fort Fairfield Middle/High School	235	253	92.9%
Fort Kent Community High School	229	240	95.4%
Ashland District School	219	232	94.4%
Mapleton Elementary School	209	226	92.5%
Fort Fairfield Elementary School	204	220	92.7%
Madawaska Elementary School	194	217	89.4%
Van Buren Elementary School	186	203	91.6%
Hodgdon Middle/High School	179	201	89.1%
Washburn District Elementary School	168	182	92.3%
Fort Street School	156	173	90.2%
Madawaska Middle/High School	152	170	89.4%
Central Aroostook Junior-Senior High School	157	163	96.3%
Woodland Consolidated School	152	162	93.8%
Dr. Levesque Elementary School	136	140	97.1%
Limestone Community School	108	130	83.1%
Easton Elementary School	108	116	93.1%
Valley Rivers Middle School	98	102	96.1%
Wisdom Middle High School	96	100	96%
Maine School of Science & Mathematics	76	99	76.8%
Easton Junior-Senior High School	90	92	97.8%
Washburn District High School	77	83	92.8%
Van Buren District Secondary School	50	55	90.9%
Dawn F. Barnes Elementary School	37	40	92.5%
Connor Consolidated School	30	32	93.8%