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James H Bean School

Q: Is James H Bean School a good school?

James H Bean School ranks 50 th of 289 Maine elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

50^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 289 Maine Elementary Schools

Better than 83% of Maine elementary schools

Summary

James H Bean School is an elementary school located in Sidney, Maine, serving grades PK-5 with 297 students. It is part of the Regional School Unit 18 district and has consistently ranked among the top 50-60 elementary schools in Maine over the past several years, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

The school consistently outperforms the district and state averages in academic proficiency, with 76.92% of students proficient or better in ELA, 72.03% in Math, and 32.69% in Science in the 2024-2025 school year. James H Bean School also performs exceptionally well for certain student groups, ranking 26th out of 251 Maine elementary schools for male students, 27th out of 192 schools for special education students, and 14th out of 248 schools for low socioeconomic status students. However, the school has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 10.6% in 2021-2022 to 25.5% in 2022-2023 and 23.4% in 2023-2024, which is an area the school should focus on improving.

Interestingly, some of the nearby schools, such as Manchester Elementary School and Belgrade Central School, also perform well academically, with higher proficiency rates in some subjects compared to James H Bean School. Additionally, the relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at James H Bean School, ranging from 25.61% to 29.63% over the past few years, suggests that the school serves a more affluent population compared to some of the nearby schools, such as Lincoln School and Albert S Hall School, which have much higher percentages of students from low-income families.

300

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,047

Per pupil spending ?

32.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2896 Middle Road
Sidney, ME 04330

(207) 547-3395

District: Regional School Unit 18

Students who attend James H Bean School usually attend:

Middle:	Messalonskee Middle School
High:	Messalonskee High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

96.3%

Hispanic:

2.0%

Asian:

0.7%

See top rated Maine elementary schools

Compare James H Bean School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 38th percentile in 2015 → 83rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Maine average (68% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 17% of Maine elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 45 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 school68%

District avg55%

Maine avg53%

50^th of 289

Maine public elementary schools ?

Top 17%▲ up 45 pts since 2015

From bottom 38% (2015) to top 17% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maine Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Elementary Schools in the Regional School Unit 18

78^th of 176Regional School Unit 18 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	50 of 289	82.7%	★★★★☆
2024	78.7	55 of 288	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	85.9	41 of 290	85.9%	★★★★☆
2022	78.6	38 of 210	81.9%	★★★★☆
2021	83.7	20 of 228	91.2%	★★★★★
2019	65.7	69 of 258	73.3%	★★★★☆
2018	62.3	78 of 254	69.3%	★★★★☆
2017	73.0	47 of 256	81.6%	★★★★☆
2016	49.0	128 of 255	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	45.4	177 of 284	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	49.3	139 of 261	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	73.7	37 of 258	85.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	68.3	85 of 251	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.1	125 of 153	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	95.1	14 of 248	94.4%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	91.1	26 of 251	89.6%	★★★★★
2019	80.8	25 of 153	83.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	88.6	27 of 192	85.9%	★★★★☆

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)94th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)90th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2025)86th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)66th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Maine (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts77%+13 vs state

Mathematics72%+23 vs state

Science33%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near James H Bean 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
James H Bean School	Public	PK, KG-5	2896 Middle Road	Sidney	04330	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 18	No	No	No	No	(207) 547-3395	300	21	14.0	32.3%	289 (96.3%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (2.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	81.2	50^th of 289 public elementary schools	82.7%		78.7	55^th of 288 public elementary schools	80.9%	5	76.9	72.0	32.7	$18,047
Belgrade Central School	Public	PK, KG-5	158 Depot Road	Belgrade	04917	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 18	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 495-2321	236	18	12.8	37.3%	220 (93.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.4%)	56.9	141^st of 289 public elementary schools	51.2%		74.5	78^th of 288 public elementary schools	72.9%	63	63.7	56.6	39.0	$19,927
Vassalboro Community School	Public	PK, KG-8	1116 Webber Pond Road	Vassalboro	04989	Kennebec County	Vassalboro Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 923-3100	423	39	10.8	40.0%	389 (92.0%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.2%)	55.3	148^th of 289 public elementary schools	48.8%		47.5	175^th of 288 public elementary schools	39.2%	27	63.3	57.1	34.6	$24,435
Ralph M Atwood Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	19 Heath Street	Oakland	04963	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 18	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 465-3411	194	16	12.3	44.8%	177 (91.2%)	5 (2.6%)	6 (3.1%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	3 (1.5%)								(n/a)				$26,962
Williams Elementary School	Public	3-5	55 Pleasant Street	Oakland	04963	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 18	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 465-2965	222	18	12.1	52.7%	202 (91.0%)	5 (2.3%)	9 (4.1%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.8%)	53.6	156^th of 289 public elementary schools	46.0%		69.6	94^th of 288 public elementary schools	67.4%	62	61.1	61.9	24.6	$21,014
Sylvio J Gilbert School	Public	PK, KG-6	16 Sunset Avenue	Augusta	04330	Kennebec County	Augusta Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 626-2491	305	25	12.0	57.4%	258 (84.6%)	8 (2.6%)	12 (3.9%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	19 (6.2%)	65.3	109^th of 289 public elementary schools	62.3%		46	184^th of 288 public elementary schools	36.1%	75	66.7	62.3	33.3	$21,404
Lillian Parks Hussey School	Public	K-6	12 Gedney Street	Augusta	04330	Kennebec County	Augusta Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 626-2461	235	17	13.6	47.2%	193 (82.1%)	5 (2.1%)	9 (3.8%)	13 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.4%)	58.3	138^th of 289 public elementary schools	52.2%		67.2	102^nd of 288 public elementary schools	64.6%	36	60.7	62.1	40.7	$21,265
Lincoln School	Public	K-6	30 Lincoln Street	Augusta	04330	Kennebec County	Augusta Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 626-2483	291	23	12.7	62.2%	267 (91.8%)	10 (3.4%)	6 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.1%)	51.9	160^th of 289 public elementary schools	44.6%		36.7	217^th of 288 public elementary schools	24.7%	57	63.5	52.8		$22,543
Albert S Hall School	Public	4-5	27 Pleasant St	Waterville	04901	Kennebec County	Waterville Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 872-8071	237	20	11.6	71.3%	194 (81.9%)	9 (3.8%)	13 (5.5%)	5 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (6.8%)								(n/a)	50.8	41.5	13.8	$28,985
Farrington School	Public	K-6	249 Eastern Avenue	Augusta	04330	Kennebec County	Augusta Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 626-2480	306	29	10.5	63.7%	274 (89.5%)	4 (1.3%)	8 (2.6%)	8 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.9%)	26.3	240^th of 289 public elementary schools	17.0%		23	252^nd of 288 public elementary schools	12.5%	12	45.5	51.1	12.5	$23,240

Frequently Asked Questions about James H Bean School

What schools do graduates of James H Bean School attend?

Students who attend James H Bean School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Messalonskee Middle School
High : Messalonskee High School

Is James H Bean School a good school?

James H Bean School ranks 50^th of 289 Maine elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend James H Bean School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 300 students attended James H Bean School.

What district is James H Bean School in?

Regional School Unit 18

What is the racial makeup of James H Bean School?

Students at James H Bean School are 96% White, 2% Hispanic.

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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.