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Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls

Public Grades PK, KG-6

283^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 289 Maine Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of Maine elementary schools

Summary

Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls is an elementary school serving grades PK-6 in Mechanic Falls, Maine, with 231 students. The school is part of the Regional School Unit 16 district, which is ranked 118 out of 176 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls has consistently underperformed compared to the state and district averages on standardized tests. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 40.5% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 63.84% statewide and 56.41% in the district. In math, the proficiency rate was just 24.79%, compared to 49.38% statewide and 41.72% in the district. The school has also struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 16.2% to 25.5% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 40.82% to 48.48% over the past few years, suggesting a relatively low-income student population.

When compared to nearby schools in the same district, such as Minot Consolidated School and Poland Community School, Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls generally underperforms on academic measures. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Minot Consolidated School had 74.8% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 60% in math, compared to Elm Street's 40.5% and 24.79%, respectively. The performance gap is even more pronounced when compared to schools in the Auburn Public Schools district, which is ranked similarly to the Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls' district.

241

Students ?

10.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,273

Per pupil spending ?

61.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

129 Elm Street
Mechanic Falls, ME 04256

(207) 345-3381

District: Regional School Unit 16

Students who attend Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls usually attend:

Middle:	Bruce M Whittier Middle School
High:	Poland Regional High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

92.5%

Two or more races:

3.7%

Hispanic:

2.9%

See top rated Maine elementary schools

Compare Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 32nd percentile in 2015 → 2nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maine average (33% vs 57% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 30 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school33%

District avg49%

Maine avg57%

283^rd of 289

Maine public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 30 pts since 2015

From bottom 32% (2015) to bottom 2% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maine Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Elementary Schools in the Regional School Unit 16

118^th of 176Regional School Unit 16 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	3.7	283 of 289	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.2	271 of 288	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.6	281 of 290	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.1	172 of 210	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.5	184 of 228	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.8	173 of 258	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.9	216 of 254	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	23.3	217 of 256	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	34.8	184 of 255	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	42.2	194 of 284	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	70.1	47 of 261	82.0%	★★★★☆
2012	60.3	79 of 258	69.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	8.2	241 of 251	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	61.6	53 of 153	65.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	4.8	245 of 248	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.9	76 of 82	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	1.9	248 of 251	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	37.0	110 of 153	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	12.2	183 of 192	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)5th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile~ school

Male (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Maine (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts40%-23 vs state

Mathematics25%-25 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Friday, February 1, 2013

Elm Street School has nurturing, caring staff, and there is a wonderful community there. I am proud to have one child who went through ESS and two others who are currently attending there. It is a welcoming school with teachers who do their jobs with professionalism and true love of children. Close Quote

Schools Near Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls

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
Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls	Public	PK, KG-6	129 Elm Street	Mechanic Falls	04256	Androscoggin County	Regional School Unit 16	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 345-3381	241	24	10.0	61.4%	223 (92.5%)	1 (0.4%)	7 (2.9%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.7%)	3.7	283^rd of 289 public elementary schools	2.1%		12.2	271^st of 288 public elementary schools	5.9%	12	40.5	24.8		$23,273
Minot Consolidated School	Public	PK, KG-6	23 Shaw Hill Road	Minot	04258	Androscoggin County	Regional School Unit 16	No	No	No	No	(207) 346-6471	229	19	12.0	34.9%	219 (95.6%)	4 (1.7%)	3 (1.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	72	82^nd of 289 public elementary schools	71.6%		78.6	56^th of 288 public elementary schools	80.6%	26	74.8	60.0	26.9	$21,585
Poland Community School	Public	PK, KG-6	1250 Maine Street	Poland	04274	Androscoggin County	Regional School Unit 16	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 998-4915	423	35	12.0	37.1%	401 (94.8%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.4%)	29.2	230^th of 289 public elementary schools	20.4%		37.7	210^th of 288 public elementary schools	27.1%	20	57.6	43.8	18.4	$19,352
Oxford Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	79 Pleasant Street	Oxford	04270	Oxford County	Regional School Unit 17/Maine School Admin District 17	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 539-4456	307	28	10.9	62.2%	284 (92.5%)	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.6%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.9%)	12.9	268^th of 289 public elementary schools	7.3%		21.4	256^th of 288 public elementary schools	11.1%	12	52.5	29.2		$21,242
Park Avenue Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	161 Park Avenue	Auburn	04210	Androscoggin County	Auburn Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 333-6657	390	31	12.5	91.8%	165 (42.3%)	187 (47.9%)	19 (4.9%)	6 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.1%)	27.1	238^th of 289 public elementary schools	17.6%		25.1	249^th of 288 public elementary schools	13.5%	11	58.5	38.6		$18,341
Fairview School	Public	PK, KG-6	397 Minot Avenue	Auburn	04210	Androscoggin County	Auburn Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 784-3559	489	32	15.2	44.2%	432 (88.3%)	17 (3.5%)	17 (3.5%)	5 (1.0%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.1%)	78.4	64^th of 289 public elementary schools	77.9%		81.1	50^th of 288 public elementary schools	82.6%	14	78.6	69.2	18.6	$18,167
Otisfield Community School	Public	PK, KG-6	416 Powhattan Road	Otisfield	04270	Oxford County	Regional School Unit 17/Maine School Admin District 17	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 627-4208	115	11	10.7	52.2%	105 (91.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.3%)	27.2	236^th of 289 public elementary schools	18.3%		12.5	270^th of 288 public elementary schools	6.3%	34	53.1	45.3		$20,811
Washburn School	Public	PK, KG-6	35 Lake Auburn Avenue	Auburn	04210	Androscoggin County	Auburn Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 784-5467	219	20	11.2	78.5%	164 (74.9%)	29 (13.2%)	7 (3.2%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	17 (7.8%)	14.1	267^th of 289 public elementary schools	7.6%		4.8	280^th of 288 public elementary schools	2.8%	13	49.6	35.7		$21,138
Sherwood Heights Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	32 Sherwood Drive	Auburn	04210	Androscoggin County	Auburn Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 783-8526	291	26	11.0	75.6%	217 (74.6%)	36 (12.4%)	18 (6.2%)	2 (0.7%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.8%)	37.6	209^th of 289 public elementary schools	27.7%		33.2	229^th of 288 public elementary schools	20.5%	20	60.8	44.9		$22,519
East Auburn Community School	Public	PK, KG-6	15 Andrew Drive	Auburn	04210	Androscoggin County	Auburn Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 782-4142	152	12	12.8	46.1%	131 (86.2%)	11 (7.2%)	1 (0.7%)	3 (2.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.3%)	80.9	53^rd of 289 public elementary schools	81.7%		76.6	68^th of 288 public elementary schools	76.4%	15	75.6	63.2		$19,851

Frequently Asked Questions about Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls

Is Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls a good school?

Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls ranks in the bottom 2.1% of Maine elementary schools.

What district is Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls in?

Regional School Unit 16

What is the racial makeup of Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls?

Students at Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls are 93% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

How many students attend Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls?

In the 2024-25 school year, 241 students attended Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls.

What schools do graduates of Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls attend?

Students who attend Elm Street School-Mechanic Falls usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bruce M Whittier Middle School
High : Poland Regional High School

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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.