The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in English language arts. The lowest is 49% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Garret Schenck School
Garret Schenck School sits in Anson, a small rural town in Somerset County spread across roughly two villages, Anson and North Anson. The town has deep agricultural roots in its alluvial soil along the Carrabassett and Kennebec rivers, and historically it served as a residential community for workers commuting to the large paper mills in neighboring Madison. Today Anson retains a primarily rural residential character with low density, a modest downtown village center near the river falls where the town hall sits, and limited walkability. Publicly reported information notes that the town's population has been declining and aging, with no major new housing developments on the horizon. A former Pan Am Railways spur line acquired by the State of Maine is being converted into a multi-use rail trail, a recreational amenity that may gradually shape community life. No current major employers within Anson itself were identified in the available research, so the town office and the schools of RSU 74 are likely among the larger local employers.
The school serves prekindergarten through fifth grade and is part of RSU 74, also known as MSAD 74, which covers Anson and surrounding communities. Enrollment is small, with roughly a dozen or so students per grade level. The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a very small number of students identifying as Hispanic or as two or more races. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects the rural, working-class economic context of the area. Data on individualized education programs and English learners was not available in the provided materials, so those population details remain unknown.
On state assessments through the Maine Through Year Assessment, Garret Schenck shows mixed results. In English language arts, roughly half of tested students in grades three through eight reached proficiency, a result that sits near the middle of what Maine schools typically post. Math proficiency was slightly lower, with just under half of students meeting the standard. Participation was full. Science results were suppressed due to a very small number of tested students, which is common for rural schools where only a handful of students sit for a given subject in a given year. No trend data was available to show whether these results are improving or declining over time, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about multi-year patterns.
Because the school ends at fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not serve the grade bands where that metric applies. No information on course access, staffing ratios, discipline, attendance, or Title I status was included in the data, so those dimensions of school life could not be assessed here. Program offerings were also not provided.
Housing in Anson is inexpensive relative to both state and national benchmarks. Typical home values sit well below the Maine statewide figure and well below the national figure, and the estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home is modest. Home values have drifted slightly downward over the past year. Rental data was not available. The price-to-income ratio for the area is on the lower side, which can make ownership more attainable for local families, though the broader economic context of an aging, contracting town with limited local employment is part of the picture a family would weigh.
What Garret Schenck offers is a small, community-rooted elementary education in a quiet rural setting, with assessment results that are middling and a student body that reflects the economic realities of the region. Families looking for a close-knit, small-school environment where their child will be one of a relatively few students per grade may find that here, while those wanting richer program offerings or more detailed performance transparency may want to look further into what RSU 74 provides across its schools.
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