Hancock County Technical Center

There’s too many students per teacher and the current grading system is a disgusting joke. Lots of homework is sent home instead of being done in class. It seems the kids have a whole other school day at times when they’re supposed to be coming home and letting their brain rest. If I had the option of a non religious private school I would immediately sign my child up but no such thing exists in Ellsworth. They also give out detentions to 5th grade and up for students that don’t charge their computers at home. Mind you not once has my child ever had to use the computer at home, it’s just one more thing for parents and students to stress about. I would say if you have the choice of where to send your children don’t send them to the Ellsworth Maine school system. They’re unorganized and understaffed. You end up becoming a secondary teacher for your child which can be difficult for working class parents (this is my experience and others I have spoken with). They also send out tests and quizzes that count up to 25% or more of their grade. This is being done as early as the 5th grade and sets a lot of kids up for failure. I’ve also caught grading mistakes which has knocked my child’s grade down but was fixed after an email to the teacher; but if you’re not on the parent portal you won’t know that’s happening. The parent portal is not always user friendly and some parents have had issues getting it set up or being able to contact the IT department to get it fixed (this is not the case for me). Just be aware that if you’re choosing to move to a place based on the school system I encourage you to do your research on this school before you pick Ellsworth. I hear Lamoine and Trenton have a better elementary school system and both are within 5-10 minutes of Ellsworth so you still get the benefit of a city nearby.