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Central School

Q: Is Central School a good school?

Central School ranks 51 st of 289 Maine elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-3

51^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 289 Maine Elementary Schools

Better than 82% of Maine elementary schools

Summary

Central School is an elementary school located in South Berwick, Maine, serving grades PK-3 with a total enrollment of 387 students. It is part of the Regional School Unit 35/Maine School Admin District 35, which is ranked 21 out of 176 districts in Maine and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central School has consistently ranked among the top elementary schools in Maine, with a ranking of 51 out of 289 schools in the 2024-2025 school year and a 4-star rating. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are significantly higher than the state averages, with 72.41% and 67.82% of students proficient or better, respectively. Central School's performance is on par with or exceeds the district's average in both ELA and Math, indicating strong academic achievement. The school also performs well across different student subgroups, with its female and male students, as well as its White students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, ranking highly compared to other Maine elementary schools.

While Central School faces some challenges, such as fluctuating chronic absenteeism rates, it can leverage its successes and learn from the best practices of nearby high-performing schools, like Coastal Ridge Elementary and North Berwick Elementary, to continue improving and providing an excellent education for its students. The school's relatively low student-teacher ratio may also be a contributing factor to its academic success, as it allows for more individualized attention and support for students.

402

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,061

Per pupil spending ?

19.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

197 Main Street
South Berwick, ME 03908

(207) 384-2333

District: Regional School Unit 35/Maine School Admin District 35

Students who attend Central School usually attend:

Middle:	Marshwood Middle School
High:	Marshwood High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.0%

Two or more races:

5.0%

Hispanic:

3.5%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 65th percentile in 2015 → 82nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Maine average (70% vs 57% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of Maine elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 17 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school70%

District avg71%

Maine avg57%

51^st of 289

Maine public elementary schools ?

Top 18%▲ up 17 pts since 2015

From top 35% (2015) to top 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maine Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Elementary Schools in the Regional School Unit 35/Maine School Admin District 35

21^st of 176Regional School Unit 35/Maine School Admin District 35 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	81.2	51 of 289	82.4%	★★★★☆
2024	89.6	27 of 288	90.6%	★★★★★
2023	77.1	73 of 290	74.8%	★★★★☆
2022	71.5	53 of 210	74.8%	★★★★☆
2021	76.3	33 of 228	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	45.5	144 of 258	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	68.8	98 of 284	65.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	86.1	37 of 251	85.3%	★★★★☆
2019	38.5	106 of 153	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	87.6	36 of 248	85.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	77.5	68 of 251	72.9%	★★★★☆
2019	40.2	99 of 153	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	59.7	77 of 192	59.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	79.3	32 of 150	78.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)85th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)85th percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)79th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)73rd percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2025)60th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Maine (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts72%+9 vs state

Mathematics68%+18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central 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
Central School	Public	PK, KG-3	197 Main Street	South Berwick	03908	York County	Regional School Unit 35/Maine School Admin District 35	No	No	No	No	(207) 384-2333	402	30	13.4	19.7%	366 (91.0%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (3.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.0%)	81.2	51^st of 289 public elementary schools	82.4%		89.6	27^th of 288 public elementary schools	90.6%	24	72.4	67.8		$20,061
Marshwood Great Works School	Public	4-5	49 Academy Street	South Berwick	03908	York County	Regional School Unit 35/Maine School Admin District 35	No	No	No	No	(207) 384-4010	287	24	12.0	16.7%	268 (93.4%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (3.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)								(n/a)	76.3	71.0	36.3	$22,271
Vivian E Hussey School	Public	K-3	20 Blackberry Hill Road	Berwick	03901	York County	Regional School Unit 60/Maine School Admin District 60	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 698-4465	370	33	11.3	35.9%	308 (83.2%)	7 (1.9%)	28 (7.6%)	6 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.4%)	49.7	167^th of 289 public elementary schools	42.2%		51.5	156^th of 288 public elementary schools	45.8%	11	58.2	58.2		$22,472
Eric L Knowlton School	Public	4-5	8 Noble St.	Berwick	03901	York County	Regional School Unit 60/Maine School Admin District 60	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 698-1188	204	20	10.4	36.3%	181 (88.7%)	1 (0.5%)	6 (2.9%)	3 (1.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.9%)								(n/a)	63.7	60.7	24.6	$23,221
North Berwick Elementary School	Public	K-4	25 Varney Road	North Berwick	03906	York County	Regional School Unit 60/Maine School Admin District 60	No	No	No	No	(207) 676-9811	258	21	12.2	26.0%	239 (92.6%)	2 (0.8%)	4 (1.6%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.9%)	86.6	40^th of 289 public elementary schools	86.2%		89	29^th of 288 public elementary schools	89.9%	11	72.2	80.4		$21,260
Eliot Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	1298 State Road	Eliot	03903	York County	Regional School Unit 35/Maine School Admin District 35	No	No	No	No	(207) 439-9004	282	26	10.9	17.7%	255 (90.4%)	2 (0.7%)	9 (3.2%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.3%)	97.7	3^rd of 289 public elementary schools	99.0%		94.7	11^th of 288 public elementary schools	96.2%	8	89.1	81.3		$23,886
Village Elementary School-York	Public	PK, KG-1	124 York Street	York	03909	York County	York Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 363-4870	226	25	9.0	18.6%	207 (91.6%)	2 (0.9%)	7 (3.1%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.5%)								(n/a)				$37,119
Coastal Ridge Elementary	Public	2-4	1 Coastal Ridge Drive	York	03909	York County	York Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 363-1800	332	33	10.0	19.6%	302 (91.0%)	3 (0.9%)	8 (2.4%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.8%)	97	6^th of 289 public elementary schools	97.9%		93.3	15^th of 288 public elementary schools	94.8%	9	84.1	85.0		$28,898
Horace Mitchell Primary School	Public	PK, KG-3	7 School Lane	Kittery Point	03905	York County	Kittery Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 439-1707	315	33	9.5	17.1%	244 (77.5%)	6 (1.9%)	39 (12.4%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	21 (6.7%)	72.5	78^th of 289 public elementary schools	73.0%		67.3	101^st of 288 public elementary schools	64.9%	23	64.1	74.2		$31,083
Wells Elementary School	Public	K-4	276 Sanford RD	Wells	04090	York County	Wells-Ogunquit Central School District	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 646-5953	563	44	12.7	23.6%	488 (86.7%)	9 (1.6%)	25 (4.4%)	12 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.2%)	63.8	113^th of 289 public elementary schools	60.9%		70.5	91^st of 288 public elementary schools	68.4%	22	64.9	61.1		$22,903

Frequently Asked Questions about Central School

What schools do graduates of Central School attend?

Students who attend Central School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Marshwood Middle School
High : Marshwood High School

What is the racial makeup of Central School?

Students at Central School are 91% White, 5% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

What district is Central School in?

Regional School Unit 35/Maine School Admin District 35

How many students attend Central School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 402 students attended Central School.

Is Central School a good school?

Central School ranks 51^st of 289 Maine elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Central School!

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MEMaine Elementary School Rankings

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Schools in South Berwick, 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.