ST. GEORGE, Maine — More than three quarters of the high school students from St. George will continue to attend Rockland-area high schools even though the town has separated from the district.
Of the 78 high school-age students in St. George, 60 are expected to attend one of two Oceanside high schools in Regional School Unit 13, according to St. George Superintendent Michael Felton. RSU 13 has a high school in Thomaston called Oceanside West that serves eighth and ninth graders and the one in Rockland called Oceanside East that serves tenth-through-12th graders.
St. George residents voted in November to break away from RSU 13. That withdrawal became effective July 1.
St. George now operates its own kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school. High school students are tuitioned to local high schools with the parents and students deciding where to go.
RSU 13 Superintendent John McDonald said he is not surprised by the number of students who are remaining in the Rockland-area high schools.
“Students tend to hold to their peer relationships,” McDonald said Wednesday.
He said students may have part of the sports teams in the district or have had older brothers and sisters who attended Oceanside.
“I also believe we have a good high school,” McDonald said about why students would choose Oceanside.
Fifteen other St. George students have signed up to attend Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport. Another two will be attending the private Watershed School in Camden, and one will be attending Lincoln Academy in Newcastle.
Felton said those numbers could change slightly before the start of school in a few weeks.
The Five-Town Community School district agreed last year to accept 15 to 25 St. George students to attend Camden Hills.
RSU 40 also agreed to have St. George students attend Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro, but none so far elected to go there.
The tuition rate being paid by St. George is set by state law as well as by agreements reached with the local high schools. The tuition ranges from $10,000 to $12,000 annually per student. This does not include the cost of transportation or special services, which St. George also pays has to cover.
For St. George, the impetus to withdraw was fueled largely by the RSU 13 board’s decision to move eighth-graders from the St. George School to the Oceanside High School West in neighboring Thomaston. Town residents also voiced concern about the effect of continuing budget cuts on education offered in the district.
The town voted 1,163-226 in November to withdraw from the Rockland-area district.
McDonald will be presenting a plan in October on realigning RSU 13 schools. A survey conducted earlier this year of parents and staff showed strong support for a traditional nine-through-12 high school.