Summary:
The city of Dixfield, Maine is home to two public schools: Dirigo High School and T W Kelly Dirigo Middle School, both of which serve students in the Regional School Unit 56 district. Based on the available data, neither school appears to be a standout performer, as both have consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of schools in Maine over the past three years.
Dirigo High School and T W Kelly Dirigo Middle School both struggle with significantly lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science compared to the state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Dirigo High School had only 49.09% proficiency in ELA, 37.04% in Math, and 13.46% in Science, while the state averages were 63.84%, 49.38%, and 36.18%, respectively. Additionally, both schools have higher-than-average chronic absenteeism rates, with 23.4% of students chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year.
Socioeconomic factors may be playing a role in the schools' performance, as Dirigo High School had 43.78% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch in 2023-2024, and T W Kelly Dirigo Middle School had an even higher rate of 56.89%. The data suggests that the Dixfield community may face significant challenges that could be impacting student achievement, and the schools will likely need to implement targeted interventions and support to address these issues and improve educational outcomes for their students.
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