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Dirigo Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

252^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 289 Maine Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of Maine elementary schools

Summary

Dirigo Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Peru, Maine, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 355 students. The school is part of the Regional School Unit 56 district, which is ranked 167 out of 176 districts in Maine and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Dirigo Elementary School faces several challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, below-average academic performance on the Maine Educational Assessments (MEA) across all subjects compared to state and district averages, and disparities in student group outcomes. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates were 53.59% in English Language Arts, 39.87% in Math, and 16.98% in Science, compared to the state averages of 63.84%, 49.38%, and 36.18%, respectively. Additionally, the school's performance on the MEA assessments varies significantly across different student subgroups, with the school ranking lower for female students, male students, white students, special education students, and low socioeconomic status students compared to other Maine elementary schools.

When comparing Dirigo Elementary School to nearby schools, such as Woodstock School, which is located approximately 12.71 miles away, it becomes evident that Dirigo is performing below its peers in several key areas. However, the data also suggests that the school has the potential to improve, as its proficiency rates were significantly higher in the 2021-2022 school year compared to subsequent years. By addressing the underlying factors that may be contributing to the school's challenges, Dirigo Elementary School can work towards providing a more equitable and high-quality education for all its students.

324

Students ?

11.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,954

Per pupil spending ?

56.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

117 Auburn Road
Peru, ME 04290

(207) 562-4207

District: Regional School Unit 56

Students who attend Dirigo Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	T W Kelly Dirigo Middle School
High:	Dirigo High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.0%

Two or more races:

4.3%

Hispanic:

2.8%

See top rated Maine elementary schools

Compare Dirigo Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 5th percentile in 2017 → 13th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2017

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maine average (42% vs 53% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Science scores 19 pts below the Maine average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg39%

Maine avg53%

252^nd of 289

Maine public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▲ up 7 pts since 2017

From bottom 5% (2017) to bottom 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maine Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

167^th of 176Regional School Unit 56 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	19.9	252 of 289	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.7	266 of 288	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	256 of 290	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.7	184 of 210	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.3	195 of 228	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.5	222 of 258	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.3	207 of 254	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	15.3	242 of 256	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	17.3	223 of 251	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.6	145 of 153	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	24.0	212 of 248	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.5	73 of 82	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	31.0	198 of 251	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.4	118 of 153	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	14.3	176 of 192	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	22.2	129 of 150	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)21st percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)15th percentile~ school

White (2025)14th percentile~ school

Female (2025)11th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)8th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Maine (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts54%-10 vs state

Mathematics40%-10 vs state

Science17%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Dirigo Elementary 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
Dirigo Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	117 Auburn Road	Peru	04290	Oxford County	Regional School Unit 56	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 562-4207	324	28	11.6	56.8%	295 (91.0%)	6 (1.9%)	9 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.3%)	19.9	252^nd of 289 public elementary schools	12.8%		14.7	266^th of 288 public elementary schools	7.6%	14	53.6	39.9	17.0	$21,954
Meroby Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	21 Cross Street	Mexico	04257	Oxford County	Regional School Unit 10	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 364-3714	256	21	12.1	79.3%	228 (89.1%)	6 (2.3%)	10 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.7%)	4.8	282^nd of 289 public elementary schools	2.4%		18.5	262^nd of 288 public elementary schools	9.0%	20	36.3	29.7		$22,161
Rumford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	121 Lincoln Avenue	Rumford	04276	Oxford County	Regional School Unit 10	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 364-8155	213	21	10.2	79.8%	180 (84.5%)	5 (2.3%)	17 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	1 (0.5%)	7 (3.3%)	21	250^th of 289 public elementary schools	13.5%		3.2	282^nd of 288 public elementary schools	2.1%	32	45.2	45.7		$22,353
Hartford-Sumner Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	145 Main Street	Sumner	04292	Oxford County	Regional School Unit 10	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 388-2681	297	26	11.6	61.6%	289 (97.3%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	45.1	180^th of 289 public elementary schools	37.7%		55.4	138^th of 288 public elementary schools	52.1%	42	65.3	48.3	15.6	$21,515
Gerald D Cushing School	Public	PK, KG-1	21 Cushing Dr	Wilton	04294	Franklin County	Regional School Unit 09	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 645-2442	101	12	8.4	52.5%	97 (96.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)								(n/a)				$23,777
Academy Hill School	Public	2-5	585 Depot St	Wilton	04294	Franklin County	Regional School Unit 09	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 645-4488	178	17	10.5	64.6%	169 (94.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.4%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	62.6	117^th of 289 public elementary schools	59.5%		53.2	151^st of 288 public elementary schools	47.6%	34	74.6	55.4	20.0	$19,645
Spruce Mountain Elementary School	Public	3-5	12 Tiger Drive	Jay	04239	Franklin County	Regional School Unit 73	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 897-5719	306	28	10.9	70.9%	289 (94.4%)	2 (0.7%)	5 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.9%)	15	261^st of 289 public elementary schools	9.7%		17.3	263^rd of 288 public elementary schools	8.7%	2	51.4	37.2	8.6	$20,990
Woodstock School	Public	K-5	224 Rumford Avenue	Bryant Pond	04219	Oxford County	Regional School Unit 44/Maine School Admin District 44	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 665-2228	67	8	7.9	68.7%	66 (98.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.5%)	59	132^nd of 289 public elementary schools	54.3%		76.7	67^th of 288 public elementary schools	76.7%	65	73.3	46.7		$25,684
Spruce Mountain Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	107 Gibbs Mill Road	Livermore	04253	Androscoggin County	Regional School Unit 73	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 897-3355	335	31	10.8	64.2%	312 (93.1%)	8 (2.4%)	8 (2.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.8%)								(n/a)				$19,794
Andover Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	85 Pine St.	Andover	04216	Oxford County	Andover Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 392-4381	25	4	6.2	56.0%	21 (84.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (12.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.0%)	62.3	121^st of 289 public elementary schools	58.1%		30.6	235^th of 288 public elementary schools	18.4%	114		56.3		$39,657

Frequently Asked Questions about Dirigo Elementary School

Is Dirigo Elementary School a good school?

Dirigo Elementary School ranks in the bottom 12.8% of Maine elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Dirigo Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Dirigo Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : T W Kelly Dirigo Middle School
High : Dirigo High School

What district is Dirigo Elementary School in?

Regional School Unit 56

What is the racial makeup of Dirigo Elementary School?

Students at Dirigo Elementary School are 91% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 2% African American.

How many students attend Dirigo Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 324 students attended Dirigo Elementary School.

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Schools in Peru, 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.