Mt Desert Csd, ME - District Data

Original Research by School Decision on Mt Desert Csd

Mt Desert CSD is a single-school district on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, serving high school students across the island's communities. The district comprises Mt Desert Island High School, drawing from Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, and Southwest Harbor. This is a small, coastal island setting, and the housing market reflects the character of the area: homes here carry a weighted typical value far above both the state and national benchmarks, with a price-to-income ratio that signals a real affordability challenge for families looking to move in. The three ZIP codes that feed the district range from a relatively modest tier in Southwest Harbor to a high tier in Mount Desert, with Bar Harbor sitting between. All three have seen mixed recent value movement, some slightly down, one up, but the overall picture is a high-cost housing market that has cooled only marginally.

The student body is predominantly white, with small representation across Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Enrollment is modest for a high school, with the four grades evenly balanced. The district did not report free-or-reduced-price lunch data, nor did it provide IEP or English-learner rates, so families seeking information about economic diversity or special-population services will find those gaps in the available data. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how it supports students with disabilities and English learners, since the published figures do not speak to those populations.

Academic results come from the 2018-19 state assessments, the most recent year available in this dataset. English language arts stands out as a clear strength, with a large majority of tested students scoring proficient or above. Science results were also solid, with a clear majority proficient. Mathematics was the soft spot: roughly half of tested students reached proficiency, which is a middling result that a family might want to look into further with the school, particularly if a student needs strong math support. Participation rates were high in ELA and math, though science participation was lower, which can reflect scheduling, opt-outs, or the specific grades tested at the high school level.

No graduation rate was provided in the data sections, which is a gap for a high-school-only district. No program offerings, course access, or extracurricular information appeared in the dataset, so we cannot speak to AP offerings, career pathways, dual-credit options, or other academic programs that often shape a family's decision. The same goes for discipline data, staffing figures, and attendance rates, all of which were absent. No civil-rights data was available.

The district brief search found no recent parent-relevant changes meeting a lasting-impact threshold, so there is nothing new in the way of restructuring, boundary shifts, or program launches to report. No locale brief was provided for the individual towns, so the picture of community life comes only from the housing and economic data.

What the data does say is this: Mt Desert CSD serves an island community with a tight enrollment, strong reading and science outcomes, and a math result that bears watching. The housing market is expensive relative to income, which shapes who can realistically move into the attendance area. Families considering this district should supplement the picture here by contacting the school directly for graduation rates, program offerings, and special-population support, since those pieces are missing from the available record.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

474

Grades

09–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 3%

Black 3%

White 88%

Asian 3%

Two+ 3%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Schools in this District

1 schools are officially reported under this district.

Mt Desert Island High School

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

1 grade reported

52%

Source aggregate

English Language Arts

1 grade reported

82%

Source aggregate

Science

1 grade reported

69%

Source aggregate

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$711,181

Year-over-year change-0.4%

Range across 3 ZIP codes$608K to $845K

vs. state typical1.72x

vs. national typical1.93x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (3 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
04609	Bar Harbor	$651K	-0.1%	38.6%
04660	Mount Desert	$845K	-2.9%	26.9%
04679	Southwest Harbor	$608K	+4.3%	12.3%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$3,589/mo

Home price / national median income8.5x

Comparison

State typical home value$412,608 (+0.7% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.