The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in Math. The lowest is 70% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Patricia a Duran School
Patricia A Duran School is the early-grades centerpiece of Hermon Public Schools, serving pre-kindergarten through fourth grade on Billings Road. As a school that covers only the youngest students, it has no graduation rate, and the state testing picture comes entirely from third and fourth graders taking the Maine Through Year Assessment. Those tested grades sit within the broader grades-three-through-eight reporting band, so the results reflect a subset of the school's total enrollment.
On that assessment, the school posts strong results. A solid majority of tested students reached proficiency in both math and English language arts, with math edging slightly ahead of reading. Participation was full. These are encouraging numbers for an elementary school, suggesting that the early instruction here is moving most children to grade-level competence before they move on to middle grades. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results are improving, holding steady, or regressing over time. Average scale scores were not reported.
The student body is sizable for an elementary building and predominantly white, reflecting the broader demographics of Hermon. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which is lower than what many Maine elementary schools see and aligns with the town's above-average household incomes. Data on special education enrollment and English learners was not reported, so families wanting to understand how the school serves those populations would need to ask directly.
Hermon itself is a growing suburb just west of Bangor, stretched along U.S. Route 2 and several state routes near I-95. The town has no traditional walkable downtown. Development is dispersed along highway corridors, with residential subdivisions, business parks, and retail clusters rather than a pedestrian-scale center. Civic life centers on the Town Office, and the schools operate on separate campuses. Recreational anchors include Jackson Beach, Ecotat Gardens and Arboretum, an eighteen-hole golf course, and a local ski area. No public library or public transit system was identified in publicly reported sources, which is consistent with the town's rural-suburban character.
The housing market here is more affordable than the state as a whole. Home values in the school's zip code sit well below the Maine benchmark, and rents are similarly modest. The broader Penobscot County market has seen a sizable increase in active listings recently, giving buyers more options than a year ago, while median listing prices have softened slightly and homes are taking longer to sell. For a family weighing where to live, Hermon offers relatively accessible homeownership compared with much of Maine, and the town has been growing steadily, outpacing the state's overall rate, with new construction and business park expansion contributing to that momentum. The town actively promotes itself as a place to build, buy, or rent.
As for the district context, the search for recent parent-relevant changes in Hermon Public Schools turned up nothing that clears a lasting-impact threshold. No major capital projects, referenda, curriculum overhauls, or property tax shifts surfaced in publicly reported sources, so the narrative here stays with what the school is rather than what it is becoming.
For a family with young children, Patricia A Duran School presents a straightforward proposition: a reasonably sized elementary school in a growing suburb, with proficiency results that point to effective early-grade instruction, in a community where housing costs run below the state average and outdoor recreation is close at hand. The gaps in the data, particularly around special populations and trend lines, are worth a direct conversation with the school for any parent whose child has specific needs.
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