The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Maine Arts Academy
Maine Arts Academy is a small, arts-focused public high school district serving grades nine through twelve, operating as a single school. It sits in Maine, and publicly reported information indicates the academy recently relocated from Sidney to a former Maine Veterans' Homes site on Cony Road in Augusta. The new campus is described as roughly six times larger than the previous location, purchased with support from USDA Rural Development financing and Kennebec Savings Bank. The move was intended to allow the school to grow its enrollment and add arts and academic programs. No locale brief or community economic context was provided, so there is little to say about the surrounding housing market or town character beyond what the district brief describes.
The student body is small for a high school, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across the four grade levels. Demographically, the academy is predominantly white, with a small number of Hispanic students, a small group identifying as two or more races, and a single Asian student. Free or reduced-price lunch data was not available, which makes it hard to gauge the economic profile of the student population. Similarly, special education and English learner rates were not reported, so those dimensions of student support are not visible in the available data.
Academically, state testing results from the 2018-19 school year show a clear split. In English language arts, the academy posted a strong proficiency rate, with well over half of tested students meeting the proficiency bar. Science was also solid, with about half of tested students scoring proficient. Math was the clear soft spot, with a low proficiency rate, under a quarter of tested students reaching proficiency. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly to understand how the math program is structured and what supports are in place for students who arrive below grade level. Participation across all three subjects was below full, though most tested students did participate. Average scale scores were not reported. No multi-year trend data was available, so there is no way to tell from the provided data whether these results represent a pattern or a single-year snapshot. The assessment was the eMPowerME for math and ELA and the Maine Educational Assessment for science.
No graduation rate was provided in the data. For a high school, that is a central piece of the picture, and its absence leaves a gap a family would likely want to fill before making a decision. No civil rights data, course access information, staffing details, or discipline records were included either, so questions about program breadth, teacher qualifications, and school climate cannot be answered from what is available. Program offerings beyond the arts focus described in the district brief were not specified. No Advanced Placement, dual-credit, or career pathway information was provided.
The district brief frames the recent relocation as a growth moment. The larger campus in Augusta is meant to support expanded enrollment and additional programming, which suggests ambition and investment. Whether that expansion has translated into stronger academics or richer offerings is not yet visible in the available data, which is limited and dated to a single assessment year.
This is a school that appears to serve a small, fairly homogeneous student body with an arts-centered identity and a recently upgraded facility. Its ELA and science results are encouraging, its math results are weak, and several key data points a parent would want, including graduation rate and economic demographics, are absent. Families drawn to a smaller, arts-focused environment with individual attention may find the academy worth exploring, and the new Augusta campus may add to its appeal. A visit and direct questions about math instruction, graduation outcomes, and current program offerings would help fill in the picture the data cannot.
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