The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Fairmount School
Fairmount School sits on Thirteenth Street in Bangor, serving only grades four and five. It is part of Bangor Public Schools, and its two-grade configuration means it functions as a bridge between early elementary and middle school. Families here are looking at a setting where children consolidate foundational skills before moving on to the next building in the district's sequence.
The student body is predominantly white, with small representations of Hispanic, multiracial, and other backgrounds. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects the economic mix of the surrounding Bangor community. Data on individualized education programs and English learner status was not available, so those dimensions of the student population are not part of this picture. A parent wanting to understand special education or language support services would need to ask the school directly.
On Maine's Through Year Assessment, Fairmount's English language arts results stand out as the strongest area, with well over half of tested students reaching proficiency. Math results are also solid, with a majority of students meeting the proficiency bar. Science tells a different story. Proficiency there is notably lower, with only a fraction of tested students reaching the proficient level. The smaller tested count in science reflects that only fifth graders take the state science assessment, while both grades participate in math and ELA. Still, the science result is a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school, particularly what hands-on science instruction looks like across both grades. Participation rates across all three subjects are high, which means the results reflect nearly the full student body.
Because Fairmount serves only grades four and five, there is no graduation rate, no AP or dual-credit coursework, and no career pathway data to report. Those metrics belong to the district's secondary schools. The school's academic picture is therefore focused on core literacy and numeracy at the upper elementary level, and the data suggests the school is doing reasonable work in those areas, with room to grow in science.
Bangor is the economic and cultural hub of Penobscot County, and the housing market around Fairmount reflects that of a small regional city rather than a coastal or southern Maine suburb. Home values in the school's zip code sit below both the state and national benchmarks, which keeps ownership within reach for many working families compared with much of Maine. Rents are moderate, and the broader Penobscot County market has seen an increase in active listings alongside a modest pullback in pending sales, suggesting the market is cooling slightly from earlier peaks. Homes are spending more days on the market than they were a year ago, giving buyers more breathing room than they had in the tightest stretches. For a family renting or buying near the school, affordability is relatively favorable compared with statewide norms.
The district brief for Bangor Public Schools did not surface any reports of lasting, parent-relevant changes such as redistricting, school closures, or major program overhauls. That absence is not itself a finding; it simply means nothing of that scale has been publicly flagged in the materials reviewed.
Fairmount is a compact, two-grade school doing solid work in literacy and math, with a science result that warrants a closer conversation. Its strength is focus: two grades, one building, a clear developmental window. Its limitation is breadth, which is a function of its grade span rather than a shortcoming. For a family in Bangor with a fourth or fifth grader, the question is less whether this school offers everything and more whether its core instruction and peer environment fit the child in front of them.
See more original research from School Decision →