The top reported proficiency rate is 64% in English language arts. The lowest is 30% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Noble Middle School
Noble Middle School sits on Cranberry Meadow Road in Berwick, a rural York County town within the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. The school serves grades six and seven as part of RSU 60, also known as MSAD 60, a district covering Berwick, Lebanon, and North Berwick. It is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet, and it draws from a predominantly white enrollment with a small but present mix of Hispanic, multiracial, Asian, Black, and Native American students. Just under a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a modest level relative to many Maine schools. The school's reported enrollment is moderate for a two-grade middle school, splitting fairly evenly between the two grades.
On Maine's Through Year Assessment for the most recent reported year, Noble Middle showed a pronounced gap between subjects. English language arts proficiency was strong, with well over half of tested students meeting or exceeding the state bar, a result that stands out as a clear strength. Mathematics was considerably weaker, with under a third of students reaching proficiency. Participation was near-universal in both subjects, so the results reflect nearly the full student body rather than a skewed subset. A parent looking at the math results may want to ask the school how it is approaching math instruction and what supports are available for students working below grade level. No multi-year trend data was available for comparison, so it is unclear whether these figures represent improvement, decline, or stability. The state did not report average scale scores, IEP rates, or English learner figures for this school, so those dimensions of student need are not visible in the available data.
Because Noble Middle serves only grades six and seven, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not administer science assessments at this grade band under the state's current testing framework. The absence of those metrics reflects the grade configuration rather than any gap in performance.
Berwick itself is a town in transition. Once anchored by Prime Tanning, an international leather producer that shut down its headquarters after bankruptcy and a merger, the community has spent years redeveloping the former tannery site into The Edge at Berwick, a mixed-use project bringing new housing and commercial space across from Town Hall. The downtown along the Salmon Falls River is the focus of a revitalization effort supported by multiple federal Brownfield grants. Outside that compact core, the town is dispersed, with homes spread along country roads through farmland, and the transportation pattern is auto-oriented. Berwick historically has had a close economic relationship with neighboring Somersworth, New Hampshire, connected by bridge. The district's other towns, Lebanon and North Berwick, add geographic breadth to MSAD 60, though the locale data for this entry centers on Berwick.
The housing market in Berwick's zip code sits above both the state and national benchmarks for typical home values, and the price-to-income ratio indicates that buying a home here requires a meaningful financial stretch for a household earning around the state median income. Estimated monthly mortgage costs at current rates are substantial. Rental data was not available, so the rental picture is incomplete. For families considering a move into the district, the cost of housing is a real factor, and the town's ongoing redevelopment may continue to shape property values.
Publicly reported sources place three of MSAD 60's schools within Berwick itself, with older students traveling to Noble High School in North Berwick for grades eight through twelve. The middle school appears to sit on its own campus rather than in the downtown core, consistent with the town's dispersed layout. No data on course offerings, extracurriculars, staffing ratios, discipline, or attendance was available for Noble Middle specifically, so the academic program beyond tested subjects is not visible here. A family evaluating this school would want to ask directly about those offerings, as well as about the transition path into and out of the two-grade span.
See more original research from School Decision →