The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in English language arts. The lowest is 55% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cherryfield Elementary
Cherryfield Elementary sits at 85 School Street in the village center of Cherryfield, a small rural town on the Narraguagus River in Washington County, Maine. The town bills itself as the "Blueberry Capital of the World," and its character is shaped by that agricultural identity and by a history rooted in lumber milling along the river. The Cherryfield Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, spans both sides of the river with period structures dating to the nineteenth century. US Route 1 cuts east to west through the village, and most daily life beyond the immediate Main Street corridor is automobile-dependent. The school is not tucked away on a remote campus. It is woven into civic life. Town meetings are held there, and the superintendent's office sits within the Town Office Building, itself housed in the former Cherryfield Academy structure. For a parent, that means the school functions as a community anchor, not just a place children go during the day.
The school serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, which makes it a full elementary and middle school under one roof. Enrollment is small, consistent with the town's population and rural setting. The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a small number of Hispanic students and a single student identified as two or more races. About half the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which gives a sense of the economic context many families are working within. Data on individualized education programs and English learner status was not reported, so those figures are absent here. Cherryfield is not a charter school and is not a magnet; it is the town's traditional public school, part of Cherryfield Public Schools.
Academic results from the most recent state assessments are a clear strength. In English language arts, proficiency is strong, with the large majority of tested students in grades three through eight meeting or exceeding the state bar. Math proficiency is also solid, with a comfortable majority of students scoring proficient or above. Science results are more modest, with a little over half of tested students reaching proficiency, though the science assessment covers a smaller group of students and a parent may want to look into how science instruction is structured across the upper grades. Participation was full across all three subjects. No trend data was available, so it is not possible from this data alone to say whether these results represent improvement, stability, or a recent shift.
The housing market in Cherryfield is affordable relative to the state and the nation. Typical home values in the school's zip code sit well below the Maine state benchmark and below the national benchmark, and recent movement has been slightly downward. Mortgage rates hover in the mid-six percent range nationally, and the estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home here is modest by comparison with most of the state. No rental data was available for this zip code, so a full picture of the rental market is not possible from what was provided. The town's population has declined over recent census cycles, and no major new housing developments or growth initiatives surfaced in available public reporting. The trajectory is static or slightly contracting, which means a family moving in is likely looking at a quiet, established community rather than one in the middle of expansion.
No specific major employers were identified in available sources, beyond the general presence of blueberry agriculture and the historical legacy of lumber milling. No public library or public transit system was identified either, which reinforces the picture of a town where families rely on personal vehicles and where civic life centers on a handful of anchors: the river, the historic district, the town office, and the school. A parent considering Cherryfield Elementary is looking at a small, locally rooted school with strong reading and math results, integrated deeply into a rural village that is quiet, affordable, and not growing fast. The science results and the missing special-population data are the areas where a family would benefit from asking the school direct questions. The rest of the picture is consistent and clear.
See more original research from School Decision →