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Bowdoin Central School

Q: Is Bowdoin Central School a good school?

Bowdoin Central School ranks 96 th of 289 Maine elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

96^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 289 Maine Elementary Schools

Better than 67% of Maine elementary schools

Summary

Bowdoin Central School is an elementary school located in Bowdoin, Maine, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 197 students. It is part of the Regional School Unit 75/Maine School Admin District 75, which is ranked 36 out of 176 districts in Maine and rated 4 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Bowdoin Central School has consistently performed well academically, with a high percentage of students proficient or better in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics on the Maine Educational Assessments (MEA). In the 2024-2025 school year, 62.96% of students were proficient or better in ELA, and 70.37% were proficient or better in Mathematics, both exceeding the state averages. The school has also shown impressive student growth, with its ranking among Maine elementary schools improving from 158 out of 258 in 2018-2019 to 96 out of 289 in 2024-2025. Bowdoin Central School has performed particularly well with its male and special education student subgroups, ranking 74 out of 251 and 48 out of 192 Maine elementary schools, respectively, in the 2024-2025 school year.

While Bowdoin Central School has experienced an increase in chronic absenteeism, from 6.4% in 2023-2024 to 25.5% in 2022-2023, this is still lower than the district and state averages. The school has also seen a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 10.91% in 2021-2022 to 29.33% in 2022-2023, indicating a growing population of economically disadvantaged students. Compared to other schools in the district, such as Williams-Cone School and Woodside Elementary School, Bowdoin Central School performs well, but it lags behind the top-performing school in the district, Bowdoinham Community School, which ranked 44 out of 289 Maine elementary schools in 2024-2025.

194

Students ?

10.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,899

Per pupil spending ?

37.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1460 Main Street
Bowdoin, ME 04287

(207) 666-5779

District: Regional School Unit 75/Maine School Admin District 75

Students who attend Bowdoin Central School usually attend:

Middle:	Mt Ararat Middle School
High:	Mt Ararat High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.8%

Two or more races:

4.1%

Hispanic:

1.5%

See top rated Maine elementary schools

Compare Bowdoin Central School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 65th percentile in 2015 → 67th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Maine average (67% vs 57% meeting standards)

✓Above the Maine median (67th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Near the bottom of Regional School Unit 75/Maine School Admin District 75's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school67%

District avg65%

Maine avg57%

96^th of 289

Maine public elementary schools ?

Top 33%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Maine Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Regional School Unit 75/Maine School Admin District 75

36^th of 176Regional School Unit 75/Maine School Admin District 75 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	68.3	96 of 289	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.0	90 of 288	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.8	76 of 290	73.8%	★★★★☆
2022	78.6	39 of 210	81.4%	★★★★☆
2021	74.1	40 of 228	82.5%	★★★★☆
2019	42.2	158 of 258	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.7	90 of 254	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	57.6	102 of 256	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	71.6	52 of 255	79.6%	★★★★☆
2015	67.9	100 of 284	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	57.5	101 of 261	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.4	63 of 258	75.6%	★★★★☆
2011	74.9	30 of 186	83.9%	★★★★☆
2010	62.5	57 of 193	70.5%	★★★★☆
2009	65.0	47 of 209	77.5%	★★★★☆
2008	69.0	43 of 195	77.9%	★★★★☆
2007	76.5	26 of 198	86.9%	★★★★☆
2006	60.2	60 of 192	68.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	64.1	91 of 251	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.3	110 of 153	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	63.2	107 of 248	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	91.5	6 of 82	92.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	75.8	74 of 251	70.5%	★★★★☆
2019	42.3	88 of 153	42.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	76.5	48 of 192	75.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2025)75th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)71st percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)64th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)57th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Maine (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics70%+21 vs state

English Language Arts63%~ state avg

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Friday, August 1, 2014

Bowdoin Central School has a top notch staff that works well together. Close Quote

Schools Near Bowdoin 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
Bowdoin Central School	Public	PK, KG-5	1460 Main Street	Bowdoin	04287	Sagadahoc County	Regional School Unit 75/Maine School Admin District 75	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 666-5779	194	18	10.9	37.1%	182 (93.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.1%)	68.3	96^th of 289 public elementary schools	66.8%		71	90^th of 288 public elementary schools	68.8%	6	63.0	70.4		$24,899
Bowdoinham Community School	Public	K-5	23 Cemetery Road	Bowdoinham	04008	Sagadahoc County	Regional School Unit 75/Maine School Admin District 75	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 666-5546	192	17	11.4	33.3%	174 (90.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.7%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.6%)	84.2	44^th of 289 public elementary schools	84.8%		77.7	62^nd of 288 public elementary schools	78.5%	18	74.0	77.0	38.5	$23,224
Williams-Cone School	Public	PK, KG-5	19 Perkins Street	Topsham	04086	Sagadahoc County	Regional School Unit 75/Maine School Admin District 75	No	No	No	No	(207) 725-4391	224	19	11.8	41.1%	199 (88.8%)	7 (3.1%)	10 (4.5%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.2%)	71.7	83^rd of 289 public elementary schools	71.3%		77.2	65^th of 288 public elementary schools	77.4%	18	69.4	67.0	35.0	$24,272
Woodside Elementary School	Public	K-5	42 Barrows Drive	Topsham	04086	Sagadahoc County	Regional School Unit 75/Maine School Admin District 75	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 725-1243	294	27	10.8	26.9%	259 (88.1%)	5 (1.7%)	9 (3.1%)	4 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (5.1%)	90.2	28^th of 289 public elementary schools	90.3%		85.1	41^st of 288 public elementary schools	85.8%	13	80.7	76.8	44.4	$25,632
Libby-Tozier School	Public	PK-K	466 Academy Road	Litchfield	04350	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 04	No	No	No	No	(207) 375-4273	143	11	13.0	50.3%	134 (93.7%)	1 (0.7%)	3 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.5%)								(n/a)				$21,793
Carrie Ricker School	Public	3-4	573 Richmond Road	Litchfield	04350	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 04	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 268-4136	174	15	11.4	50.6%	169 (97.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.3%)	24.3	242^nd of 289 public elementary schools	16.3%		37.4	212^th of 288 public elementary schools	26.4%	30	50.0	45.6		$24,728
Lisbon Community School	Public	PK, KG-5	33 Mill Street	Lisbon	04250	Androscoggin County	Lisbon Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 353-4132	657	51	12.8	48.6%	603 (91.8%)	17 (2.6%)	12 (1.8%)	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	15 (2.3%)	26.8	239^th of 289 public elementary schools	17.3%		36.1	220^th of 288 public elementary schools	23.6%	19	53.9	46.8	17.4	$18,586
Marcia Buker School	Public	PK, KG-5	28 High Street	Richmond	04357	Sagadahoc County	Richmond Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(207) 737-4748	214	21	10.1	39.7%	207 (96.7%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)								(n/a)	69.9	41.0	26.5	$24,283
Kate Furbish Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	75 Jordan Ave	Brunswick	04011	Cumberland County	Brunswick Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 319-1970	616	51	12.0	37.2%	483 (78.4%)	33 (5.4%)	36 (5.8%)	21 (3.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (6.7%)								(n/a)				$23,768
West Bath School	Public	PK, KG-5	126 New Meadows Road	West Bath	04530	Sagadahoc County	West Bath Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 443-9145	101	13	8.0	29.7%	98 (97.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	82	49^th of 289 public elementary schools	83.0%		94.1	14^th of 288 public elementary schools	95.1%	35	73.8	66.7		$38,061

Frequently Asked Questions about Bowdoin Central School

What schools do graduates of Bowdoin Central School attend?

Students who attend Bowdoin Central School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mt Ararat Middle School
High : Mt Ararat High School

How many students attend Bowdoin Central School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 194 students attended Bowdoin Central School.

What is the racial makeup of Bowdoin Central School?

Students at Bowdoin Central School are 94% White, 4% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

Is Bowdoin Central School a good school?

Bowdoin Central School ranks 96^th of 289 Maine elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Bowdoin Central School in?

Regional School Unit 75/Maine School Admin District 75

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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.