Best Public Schools in Zip Code 04785

Summary:

The 04785 zip code area is home to two schools - Van Buren Elementary School and Van Buren District Secondary School. While the elementary school serves a larger student population of 206 in grades PK-8, the secondary school has a smaller enrollment of 54 students in grades 9-12.

Van Buren Elementary School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Maine elementary schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (60.17%), Math (32.2%), and Science (36.84%) are relatively low compared to district and state averages. Additionally, the school faces challenges with a high chronic absenteeism rate of 23.4% and a high percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch at 69.42%. In contrast, the smaller Van Buren District Secondary School has fluctuated in its statewide ranking, ranging from 68th to 115th out of Maine high schools, with a 2-star rating. The high school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (62.5%) and Math (43.75%) are closer to the district and state averages, and it has a relatively high 4-year graduation rate of 87.8%.

The data highlights the challenges faced by these two schools, particularly the elementary school, and suggests the need for targeted interventions and support to improve student outcomes. The district as a whole, Regional School Unit 88/Maine School Admin District 24, is ranked 120th out of 176 districts in Maine and is rated 2 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger, indicating room for improvement across the district.

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
Van Buren District Secondary School	Public	9-12	169 Main Street	Van Buren	04785	Aroostook County	Regional School Unit 88/Maine School Admin District 24	No	No	No	No	(207) 868-5274	58	8	7.2	82.8%	53 (91.4%)	2 (3.4%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39.1	61^st of 119 public high schools	48.7%		10.2	115^th of 121 public high schools	5.0%	54	62.5	43.8		$35,242
Van Buren Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	169 Main Street	Van Buren	04785	Aroostook County	Regional School Unit 88/Maine School Admin District 24	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 868-5274	204	15	13.4	70.6%	188 (92.2%)	10 (4.9%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	28.7	233^rd of 289 public elementary schools	19.4%		37.7	211^th of 288 public elementary schools	26.7%	22	60.2	32.2	36.8	$19,376

Cities Near Zip Code 04785

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Van Buren	0.16 mi	3	188^th
Connor Twp	13.86 mi	1	252^nd
Caswell	13.98 mi	1	272^nd
Saint Agatha	18.34 mi	2	109^th
Limestone	18.46 mi	3	265^th

See the top ME Maine cities

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.