The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Winslow Elementary School
Winslow Elementary School sits on Benton Avenue in the town of Winslow, a bedroom community on the east bank of the Kennebec River, just across from Waterville. The school serves pre-kindergarten through sixth grade and is part of Winslow Schools, a small district that operates three schools in two buildings. The town itself was historically built around the Hollingsworth & Whitney paper mill, later owned by Scott Paper, which closed after a corporate merger. Since then, Winslow has transitioned into a primarily residential community for middle- and upper-middle-class families who commute to Waterville or Augusta, with some remaining light industry along its highway corridors. Employers like Johnny's Selected Seeds, Mid-State Machine Products, and Orion Rope Works have anchored a modest economic recovery. The built environment is dispersed along road corridors rather than concentrated in a walkable center, and the town promotes its recreational facilities and athletic programs.
The school's enrollment is moderate for its grade band, with fairly even distribution across the elementary grades. The student body is predominantly white, with small representations of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races, and very few students in other racial or ethnic categories. Just over a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a level that suggests a mix of working-class and more affluent families rather than concentrated poverty. The data does not include figures for students with individualized education programs or English learners, so those population sizes remain unknown here.
On Maine's Through Year Assessment, Winslow Elementary's results in English language arts are a clear strength. A solid majority of tested students in grades three through eight reached proficiency, a result that points to effective literacy instruction across the elementary years. Math proficiency was also strong, with most tested students meeting the state's proficiency bar. Participation rates were near-universal in both subjects, which gives the results real weight. Science, by contrast, was a soft spot. Only a small group of students was tested, as science is assessed at fewer grade levels, and the proficiency rate was quite low. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, since the small tested group means a few students' scores can swing the result, but the gap between science and the other subjects is wide enough to warrant attention. No trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, stability, or decline from prior years.
Because Winslow Elementary does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The same applies to AP, dual-credit, or career-pathway measures, which are not part of this school's grade band. The data does not include discipline, attendance, staffing, or course-access details, so the picture of school climate and classroom resources here is limited to what the academic results and community context suggest.
Housing in Winslow's zip code is notably more affordable than both the Maine state benchmark and the national one. Home values have risen only modestly year over year, and rents remain well within reach for a family earning the area's median household income. The estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home in the zip code exceeds the typical rent by a meaningful margin, which means renting may be the more economical path for families who are not ready to buy. The town itself has seen some investment in school infrastructure, with Winslow High School undergoing renovation and an expansion that added a junior high wing and band room. No specific new housing developments were identified in available search results, and the district brief turned up no major referendums, curriculum overhauls, or property-tax shifts in the recent past.
For a parent weighing this school, the academic picture in core literacy and math is encouraging, the community is stable and affordable, and the town has invested in its school facilities. The science results stand out as an area to probe, and the absence of staffing, discipline, and special-population data means a family would want to ask the school directly about those supports. Winslow Elementary reads as a solid, community-rooted elementary school in a quiet residential town that has weathered industrial decline and found a workable economic footing.
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