Best Public Schools in Bangor, ME

Summary:

The city of Bangor, Maine is home to 10 schools, including 7 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 high school. The Bangor Public Schools district as a whole is performing well, ranking 37th out of 177 districts in the state. However, there is a significant gap in performance between the top-tier schools and the lower-performing ones, suggesting room for improvement in ensuring more equitable outcomes across all schools.

The standout schools in Bangor include Fruit Street School, a consistently high-ranking elementary school with exceptional test scores, William S. Cohen School, a top-performing middle school, and Abraham Lincoln School, another high-achieving elementary school. These schools have consistently ranked among the top in the state, with 5-star ratings from SchoolDigger.

While the district's performance on state assessments is generally positive, with several schools outperforming the state averages in ELA and Math, the chronic absenteeism rate of 23.4% across all schools is a concern that may require targeted interventions. Additionally, the schools with the highest free and reduced lunch rates, such as Downeast School and James F. Doughty School, indicate higher levels of economic disadvantage that may need to be addressed to ensure equitable access to quality education for all students in Bangor.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MEA English Language Arts (2024)	MEA Mathematics (2024)	MEA Science (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MEA English Language Arts All Grades	MEA Mathematics All Grades	MEA Science All Grades	Total
Abraham Lincoln School	Public	PK, KG-3	45 Forest Avenue	Bangor	04401	Penobscot County	Bangor Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 941-6280	176	15	11.5	48.9%	130 (73.9%)	8 (4.5%)	9 (5.1%)	15 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (8.0%)	92.8	17^th of 288 public elementary schools	94.1%		94.1	11^th of 290 public elementary schools	96.2%	6	77.3	84.8		$23,439
Bangor High School	Public	9-12	885 Broadway	Bangor	04401	Penobscot County	Bangor Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 992-5500	1,074	81	13.2	37.4%	867 (80.7%)	29 (2.7%)	51 (4.7%)	28 (2.6%)	17 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	81 (7.5%)	62.7	21^st of 121 public high schools	82.6%		44.3	51^st of 123 public high schools	58.5%	30	64.5	53.6	45.1	$22,018
Downeast School	Public	PK, KG-3	100 Moosehead Blvd	Bangor	04401	Penobscot County	Bangor Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 941-6240	311	27	11.6	84.9%	239 (76.8%)	10 (3.2%)	27 (8.7%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (10.0%)	13.4	268^th of 288 public elementary schools	6.9%		41.3	192^nd of 290 public elementary schools	33.8%	76	33.9	39.0		$22,360
Fairmount School	Public	4-5	58 Thirteenth Street	Bangor	04401	Penobscot County	Bangor Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 941-6260	257	23	11.0	65.0%	206 (80.2%)	3 (1.2%)	17 (6.6%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (10.5%)								(n/a)	69.4	63.0	37.0	$22,388
James F. Doughty School	Public	6-8	143 Fifth Street	Bangor	04401	Penobscot County	Bangor Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 941-6220	358	29	12.5	62.0%	291 (81.3%)	2 (0.6%)	25 (7.0%)	3 (0.8%)	10 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (7.5%)	54.9	33^rd of 92 public middle schools	64.1%		50.5	40^th of 96 public middle schools	58.3%	7	71.6	40.8	42.7	$21,187
Fruit Street School	Public	PK, KG-3	175 Fruit Street	Bangor	04401	Penobscot County	Bangor Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 941-6270	322	22	14.4	29.8%	249 (77.3%)	8 (2.5%)	20 (6.2%)	14 (4.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (9.3%)	95.3	8^th of 288 public elementary schools	97.2%		93.2	15^th of 290 public elementary schools	94.8%	7	80.8	83.3		$19,902
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	29	12.5	28.8%	292 (80.2%)	15 (4.1%)	16 (4.4%)	14 (3.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.6%)	84.5	10^th of 92 public middle schools	89.1%		88.2	9^th of 96 public middle schools	90.6%	1	77.8	60.5	68.5	$20,607
Vine Street School	Public	PK, KG-3	66 Vine Street	Bangor	04401	Penobscot County	Bangor Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 941-6300	176	18	9.9	57.4%	142 (80.7%)	4 (2.3%)	10 (5.7%)	3 (1.7%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (9.1%)	78.5	58^th of 288 public elementary schools	79.9%		78.7	65^th of 290 public elementary schools	77.6%	7	67.6	78.4		$26,015
Mary Snow School	Public	4-5	435 Broadway	Bangor	04401	Penobscot County	Bangor Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 941-6290	243	21	11.6	34.2%	179 (73.7%)	15 (6.2%)	25 (10.3%)	7 (2.9%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.2%)								(n/a)	67.6	66.7	34.7	$21,155
Fourteenth Street School	Public	PK, KG-3	224 Fourteenth Street	Bangor	04401	Penobscot County	Bangor Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 941-6350	153	12	13.0	32.0%	125 (81.7%)	5 (3.3%)	9 (5.9%)	4 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.5%)	88.2	32^nd of 288 public elementary schools	88.9%		97.3	4^th of 290 public elementary schools	98.6%	28	78.1			$19,900

Cities Near Bangor

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Brewer	1.82 mi	2	135^th
Veazie	3.75 mi	1	80^th
Hermon	5.66 mi	3	69^th
Hampden	5.88 mi	4	23^rd
Eddington	5.95 mi	1

See the top ME Maine cities

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.