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Great Salt Bay Community School

Q: Is Great Salt Bay Community School a good school?

Great Salt Bay Community School ranks 105 th of 289 Maine elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

105^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 289 Maine Elementary Schools

Better than 64% of Maine elementary schools

Summary

Great Salt Bay Community School is a public elementary school serving grades K-8 in Damariscotta, Maine, with 387 students and a student-teacher ratio of around 10-11 students per teacher. The school is part of the Great Salt Bay Central School District, which is ranked 60 out of 176 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Great Salt Bay Community School consistently performs above the state average in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science on the Maine Educational Assessments (MEA), with 68.3% proficiency in ELA, 53.96% in Math, and 57.73% in Science, compared to the state averages of 63.84%, 49.38%, and 36.18% respectively. The school particularly excels for female and male students, ranking 14th and 7th out of 90 Maine elementary schools respectively in ELA and Math proficiency. However, the school struggles more with special education and low socioeconomic status students, ranking in the bottom quarter of Maine schools for these subgroups.

While Great Salt Bay Community School has maintained a 3-4 star rating from SchoolDigger, its statewide ranking has declined from 35th out of 210 schools in 2021-2022 to 105th out of 289 schools in 2024-2025. This suggests the school may be losing ground relative to other high-performing schools in the state. Additionally, the school faces growing socioeconomic challenges, with the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch increasing from 33.91% in 2022-2023 to 39.02% in 2023-2024. Nearby schools like Cushing Community School, Friendship Village School, and Bristol Consolidated School have outperformed Great Salt Bay in certain subject areas and student subgroups, providing valuable insights for the school to drive continuous improvement.

397

Students ?

10.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,751

Per pupil spending ?

39.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

559 Main St
Damariscotta, ME 04543

(207) 563-3091

District: Great Salt Bay Central School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.2%

Hispanic:

4.3%

Two or more races:

3.0%

See top rated Maine elementary schools

Compare Great Salt Bay Community School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 81st percentile in 2015 → 64th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Maine average (61% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Above the Maine median (64th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school61%

District avg60%

Maine avg53%

105^th of 289

Maine public elementary schools ?

Top 36%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From top 19% (2015) to top 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maine Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

60^th of 176Great Salt Bay Central School District among Maine districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	66.0	105 of 289	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.8	99 of 288	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	79.2	62 of 290	78.6%	★★★★☆
2022	79.9	35 of 210	83.3%	★★★★☆
2021	81.6	25 of 228	89.0%	★★★★☆
2019	75.2	48 of 258	81.4%	★★★★☆
2018	76.4	36 of 254	85.8%	★★★★☆
2017	60.7	93 of 256	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	68.7	60 of 255	76.5%	★★★★☆
2015	82.4	55 of 284	80.6%	★★★★☆
2013	63.4	77 of 261	70.5%	★★★★☆
2012	57.7	88 of 258	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	69.7	34 of 186	81.7%	★★★★☆
2010	65.6	48 of 193	75.1%	★★★★☆
2009	69.6	30 of 209	85.6%	★★★★☆
2008	75.6	28 of 195	85.6%	★★★★☆
2007	84.0	12 of 198	93.9%	★★★★★
2006	73.2	31 of 192	83.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	62.9	96 of 251	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	78.0	14 of 90	84.4%	★★★★☆
2019	50.7	70 of 153	54.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	60.8	10 of 18	44.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	52.2	139 of 248	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	88.6	6 of 64	90.6%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	70.4	90 of 251	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	88.0	7 of 90	92.2%	★★★★★
2019	84.0	18 of 153	88.2%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	25.6	151 of 192	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	62.0	57 of 150	62.0%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Male (2025)64th percentile~ school

White (2025)62nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)62nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)44th percentile-19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)44th percentile-20 vs school

Special Education (2025)21st percentile-42 vs school

By subject vs Maine (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts68%+4 vs state

Science58%+22 vs state

Mathematics54%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Great Salt Bay Community School

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
Great Salt Bay Community School	Public	PK, KG-8	559 Main St	Damariscotta	04543	Lincoln County	Great Salt Bay Central School District	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 563-3091	397	37	10.8	39.3%	362 (91.2%)	3 (0.8%)	17 (4.3%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.0%)	66	105^th of 289 public elementary schools	63.7%		67.8	99^th of 288 public elementary schools	65.6%	6	68.3	54.0	57.7	$22,751
Nobleboro Central School	Public	K-8	194 Center Street	Nobleboro	04555	Lincoln County	Nobleboro Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 563-3437	140	14	10.1	40.7%	131 (93.6%)	6 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.1%)	87.6	36^th of 289 public elementary schools	87.5%		82.5	47^th of 288 public elementary schools	83.7%	11	74.5	72.3	59.4	$23,926
Edgecomb Eddy School	Public	PK, KG-6	51 Emery Drive	Edgecomb	04556	Lincoln County	Edgecomb Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 882-5515	113	11	10.1	46.9%	106 (93.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.8%)	3 (2.7%)	69.4	91^st of 289 public elementary schools	68.5%		75	75^th of 288 public elementary schools	74.0%	16	69.1	60.0		$31,502
Miller School	Public	PK, KG-6	145 Kalers Corner Road	Waldoboro	04572	Lincoln County	Regional School Unit 40/Maine School Admin District 40	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 832-2103	361	35	10.3	62.6%	329 (91.1%)	2 (0.6%)	9 (2.5%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.4%)	27.1	237^th of 289 public elementary schools	18.0%		27	245^th of 288 public elementary schools	14.9%	8	59.1	39.9	16.7	$23,685
Wiscasset Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	83 Federal Street	Wiscasset	04578	Lincoln County	Wiscasset Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 882-7767	166	24	7.0	52.4%	156 (94.0%)	2 (1.2%)	3 (1.8%)	4 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	61.9	122^nd of 289 public elementary schools	57.8%		61.7	121^st of 288 public elementary schools	58.0%	1	66.7	56.8		$30,452
Friendship Village School	Public	K-6	23 School Street	Friendship	04547	Knox County	Regional School Unit 40/Maine School Admin District 40	No	No	No	No	(207) 832-5057	62	10	6.3	45.2%	59 (95.2%)	1 (1.6%)	1 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.6%)	86.7	39^th of 289 public elementary schools	86.5%		89.4	28^th of 288 public elementary schools	90.3%	11	80.0	65.7		$29,611
Bristol Consolidated School	Public	PK, KG-8	2153 Bristol Rd	Pemaquid	04558	Lincoln County	Bristol Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 677-2678	189	18	10.6	29.6%	179 (94.7%)	1 (0.5%)	5 (2.6%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	96.7	7^th of 289 public elementary schools	97.6%		94.4	12^th of 288 public elementary schools	95.8%	5	86.5	77.8	75.0	$24,782
Jefferson Village School	Public	K-8	48 Washington Rd	Jefferson	04348	Lincoln County	Jefferson Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 549-7491	215	19	11.5	38.1%	208 (96.7%)	3 (1.4%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	41.8	193^rd of 289 public elementary schools	33.2%		49.2	167^th of 288 public elementary schools	42.0%	26	61.8	40.9	51.1	$22,014
South Bristol Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	2024 State Route 129	South Bristol	04568	Lincoln County	South Bristol Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 644-8177	63	9	7.1	39.7%	57 (90.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.2%)	2 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.2%)	74.9	75^th of 289 public elementary schools	74.0%		97.2	4^th of 288 public elementary schools	98.6%	71	71.4	62.1		$38,247
Cushing Community School	Public	K-5	54 Cross Road	Cushing	04563	Knox County	Regional School Unit 13	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 354-2312	74	10	7.6	55.4%	73 (98.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	91.8	19^th of 289 public elementary schools	93.4%		65.4	110^th of 288 public elementary schools	61.8%	91	79.5	74.4		$30,471

Frequently Asked Questions about Great Salt Bay Community School

Is Great Salt Bay Community School a good school?

Great Salt Bay Community School ranks 105^th of 289 Maine elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Great Salt Bay Community School?

Students at Great Salt Bay Community School are 91% White, 4% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend Great Salt Bay Community School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 397 students attended Great Salt Bay Community School.

What district is Great Salt Bay Community School in?

Great Salt Bay Central School District

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Schools in Damariscotta, ME

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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.