Best Public Schools in Howland, ME

Summary:

The city of Howland, Maine is home to two schools - Penobscot Valley High School and Hichborn Middle School, both part of the Regional School Unit 31/Maine School Admin District 31. Based on the available data, Hichborn Middle School appears to be the standout performer, consistently ranking in the top 30 middle schools in Maine over the past 3 years with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hichborn Middle School has demonstrated strong academic performance, with over 60% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and over 50% proficient or better in Mathematics on the Maine Educational Assessments (MEA). The school also has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (23.4%) compared to Penobscot Valley High School (also 23.4%), indicating better student engagement. Additionally, Hichborn Middle School has a significantly lower student-teacher ratio of 6.7, suggesting more individualized attention for students.

In contrast, Penobscot Valley High School has had a more mixed performance, dropping from a top 30-33 ranking in the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years to a 1-star rating and 104th rank in 2022-2023. The high school's academic performance, as measured by MEA proficiency rates, has also been more inconsistent compared to the middle school. While Penobscot Valley High School had an 87.8% four-year graduation rate in 2023-2024, the high chronic absenteeism rate (23.4%) at both schools is an area of concern that may be contributing to the academic challenges observed, particularly at the high school level.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MEA English Language Arts (2025)	MEA Mathematics (2025)	MEA Science (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MEA English Language Arts All Grades	MEA Mathematics All Grades	MEA Science All Grades	Total
Hichborn Middle School	Public	6-8	23 Cross Street	Howland	04448	Penobscot County	Regional School Unit 31/Maine School Admin District 31	No	No	No	No	(207) 732-3113	98	13	7.7	69.4%	95 (96.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	57.4	28^th of 91 public middle schools	69.2%		70.6	18^th of 92 public middle schools	80.4%	10	63.4	55.5	46.4	$26,175
Penobscot Valley High School	Public	9-12	23 Cross Street	Howland	04448	Penobscot County	Regional School Unit 31/Maine School Admin District 31	No	No	No	No	(207) 732-3111	127	14	8.8	59.8%	123 (96.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53.2	33^rd of 119 public high schools	72.3%		56	30^th of 121 public high schools	75.2%	3	43.5		51.4	$24,229

Cities Near Howland

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
West Enfield	3.61 mi	1	249^th
Greenbush	8.68 mi	1	271^st
Lincoln	11.35 mi	4	189^th
Alton	13.85 mi	1
Milo	15.52 mi	2	260^th

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.