Farmington area schools (Wilton, Amherst: how much, homes, dorm)

[capecodfolks]

Hello,
Any insights into the schools around Farmington? (We are looking at elementary & middle schools). We would need an easy commute to Farmington, but could live in another town...
Also: I am having trouble finding the maine public school website. I'm curious about how big the schools are in that area, teacher/student ratio, etc.
Thanks for any info!!
capecodfolks

[jojo62]

hello.I live right next to farmington. The school department is very good,there is also The University of Maine in Farmington.

[jojo62]

Me again. Farmington Schools. Mt.Blue High School.Mallet Elementary,Mt Blue Middle School

[Northern Maine Land Man]

The Farmington area has good schools due to the influence of faculty members from UM Farmington. They demand goods schools. That said, you should be aware that the schools are extremely liberal and your kids will come out of there as good little environmentalists and worshipping AlGore. You need to get well away from Farmington if you want your kids to have some idea of what made our country great.

[lrfox]

Farmington schools are decent (especially in comparison to the rest of the area). They won't be as nice as what you'd find in S.E. Mass (I'm assuming you're from Cape Cod?), but they're not bad for where they are. The facilities, particularly around Mt. Blue HS are sub-par (Mt. Blue looks as if it's at least 45% portable classrooms and cheap additions) but like NMLM said, the education is pretty good as a result of UMF's faculty push. Your kids may have many student teachers because UMF is one of the premiere universities in the region for producing teachers.

I'll also agree that Farmington is frustratingly liberal. I lean to the left, but Farminton is extreme. There are some pathetically organized protests, signs, and the all over hippie feel that you get when walking around town. That being said, it's a pretty place and reltively affordable. Even the hippies can be pretty nice and downtown is pretty (Homestead serves up a nice breakfast).

I'd go so far as to say Farmington is similar to a tiny Amherst, MA. It's even more left-leaning than many college towns, and many of the residents are kids who went to school there and never left.

I remember walking through the student center there wearing a shirt and blazer I had custom made for me in India (I saw them made by a grown man and friend of the family) for $15. Some hippie girl asked me if I knew how much the kid in the sweathshop in Taiwan got paid for making my clothes. I asked her if she'd ever left the country... she replied, "I've been to Canada, but I know all about child labor and slavery!" I told her I've visited sweatshops in India and I stood by the man who made my clothes while he made them. She didn't care, as far as she was convinced I was supporting slave labor. She probably went back to her dorm to try and save the world by toking up and listening to Phish. Extreme example, yes... while not everyone in Farmington is like that, many are.

A beautiful town right nearby is Wilton... nice lake, pretty homes, fewer hippies. Same with Industry... nice lake, nice homes, fewer hippies. Good luck!

[tye207]

The schools in Farmington offer a great education. They aren't overly populated, there's more of a focus on each student because of it. From my research over time I believe these are the populations of each school:
W.G. Mallet School (elementary K-3): 350
Cascade Brook School (elementary 4-6): 300
Mt. Blue Middle School (7-8): 400
Mt. Blue High School (9-12): 900
The downside is that the schools (except for the newly renovated middle school and fairly new cascade brook school) are in poor condition. The high school has about 15 portables, each with 2 classrooms because there's no room in the school, and it's falling apart inside. Its not the nicest but its not ghetto. They plan to renovate the high school and the very old mallet school is going to be rebuilt. The atmosphere and goal of education is great in this community though, so I would surely recommend it. Almost all of the towns that attend the middle and high school are in close proximity, but if you decided to live away from Farmington, there are other (smaller) elementary schools. sorry I was so wordy, hope this helps.

[luckyline344]

Originally Posted by capecodfolks

Hello,
Any insights into the schools around Farmington? (We are looking at elementary & middle schools). We would need an easy commute to Farmington, but could live in another town...
Also: I am having trouble finding the maine public school website. I'm curious about how big the schools are in that area, teacher/student ratio, etc.
Thanks for any info!!
capecodfolks

We went through the same search, from the same part of New England....worth your patience, some outstanding teachers, music offerings are great for all ages; computerized powerschool program for monitoring progress, etc. Area school website:
http://www.msad9.org/
Good luck.

[capecodfolks]

Thanks so much for these excellent and helpful replies!!