The Wells-Ogunquit Community School District (also known as Wells-Ogunquit CSD or CSD 18) provides education for students of all ages in the coastal southern

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

towns of

Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * Wells ...

and

Ogunquit Ogunquit ( ) is a resort town in York County, Maine. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,577. Ogunquit is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Ogunquit, which means "beau ...

History

The district was created by the

Maine Legislature The Maine Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. It is a bicameral body composed of the lower house Maine House of Representatives and the upper house Maine Senate. The Legislature convenes at the State House in Aug ...

in 1980 when Ogunquit was incorporated as a town. (Prior to that, Ogunquit had been a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

within the town of Wells.) Throughout 2008 and 2009, in an effort to comply with the state's 2008 school consolidation law, the district attempted to find another district to merge with, in order to form a

Regional school unit A regional school unit is a type of school district in Maine. They were created starting in 2008 pursuant to a change in Maine Law that attempted to save on administrative costs by consolidating Maine's many school districts into larger districts ...

. Wells-Ogunquit explored merging with MSAD 71 (Kennebunk-Kennebunkport), as well as the

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and

Kittery Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals. The southernmost town in t ...

school departments, but was unable to reach an agreement with any of them. Wells-Ogunquit submitted a waiver application to the state, which was rejected. The state then recommended that Wells-Ogunquit merge with the

Acton School Department Acton School Department is the school district serving Acton, Maine. Schools Acton School is an elementary school which educates students in kindergarten through eighth grade, and is the only public school in Acton. It enrolls approximately 300 ...

, despite the substantial geographic distance between Acton and the Wells-Ogunquit area. Under the pressure of a deadline from the state, the towns of Acton, Ogunquit, and Wells held referendums to determine whether voters would approve or deny the consolidation. Voters in all three towns rejected the plan. Under the consolidation law, Wells-Ogunquit is therefore allowed to remain a "stand-alone" district with no penalty.

Governance

The district is governed by a school committee, which consists of six elected at-large members: three from Ogunquit and three from Wells. Committee members serve for three-year terms. The votes of Wells committee members are weighted more heavily than the votes of Ogunquit committee members, in order to reflect the population difference between the two towns.

Schools and Programs

Current

* Wells Elementary School provides classes for students in

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

through

fourth grade Fourth grade (also called grade four, equivalent to Year 5 in England and Wales, and Year 4 in Australia) is a year of Elementary education in some countries. In North America, the fourth grade is the fifth school year of elementary school. Stud ...

. 2011–2012 enrollment: 478 students. * Wells Junior High School provides classes for students in

fifth grade Fifth grade (called Grade 5 in some regions) is a year of education in many nations, and some other regions call it Year 5. In the United States, the fifth grade is the fifth and last year of elementary school in most schools. In other schools, it ...

through

eighth grade Eighth grade (or grade eight in some regions) is the eighth post-kindergarten year of formal education in the US. The eighth grade is the ninth school year, the second, third, fourth, or final year of middle school, or the second and/or final ye ...

. 2011–2012 enrollment: 449 students. *

Wells High School Wells High School is a public school located in Wells, Maine, United States. It has an enrollment of 450 students in grades 9 through 12. The school primarily serves students from Wells, as well as a small number of students from Ogunquit, Maine ...

provides classes for students in

ninth grade Ninth grade, freshman year, or grade 9 is the ninth year of school education in some school systems. Ninth grade is often the first school year of secondary school, high school in the United States, or the last year of middle school#United States ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

. 2011–2012 enrollment: 432 students. ** Wells-Ogunquit Adult Community Education, located on the premises of Wells High School, provides

adult education Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained self-educating activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralp ...

classes for adults of all ages.

Closed

Ogunquit Village School Ogunquit Village School was a school in Ogunquit, Maine. It closed in 2004 after the Wells-Ogunquit Community School District and the Maine Department of Education determined that necessary building repairs would cost more than the building was wort ...

provided classes for Ogunquit students in Kindergarten through fifth grade. In 2004 it was closed due to declining enrollment and high maintenance costs, and Ogunquit's elementary students were transferred to Wells Elementary School.

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.k12wocsd.net/ Wells, Maine School districts in Maine Education in York County, Maine Ogunquit, Maine 1980 establishments in Maine School districts established in 1980

History

Governance

Schools and Programs

Current

Closed

See also

References

External links