Question 1

Who runs the public schools in Damariscotta now?

Accepted Answer

Since July 1, 2025, Damariscotta, Newcastle, and Bremen run their schools together as the Great Salt Bay Regional School Unit — RSU 48. The three towns left the old AOS 93 (the Central Lincoln County School System, which had been shared across seven towns) to form it.

For families, day-to-day life barely changed: the same children go to the same school in the same building. The change was mostly administrative — one central office now answers to these three towns instead of seven.

Question 2

Where do younger children go to school (pre-K through grade 8)?

Accepted Answer

Great Salt Bay Community School, at 559 Main Street in Damariscotta. It serves children from pre-kindergarten through grade 8 for all three RSU 48 towns — Damariscotta, Newcastle, and Bremen.

Front office: 207-506-2633, gsbfrontoffice@rsu48.org. School website: www.greatsaltbayschool.org.

Question 3

How do I enroll a child or register a new student?

Accepted Answer

Start with the Great Salt Bay Community School front office — call 207-506-2633 or email gsbfrontoffice@rsu48.org, and they will walk you through registration and the forms you need.

Registration details and forms are also posted at www.greatsaltbayschool.org. This page doesn't hold the forms itself, so the school office is the place to confirm what to bring (proof of residency, immunization records, and any past school records).

Question 4

Where do teenagers go to high school? RSU 48 doesn't have one.

Accepted Answer

Damariscotta — like Newcastle and Bremen — does not run a public high school of its own. Instead the town is a "tuition town": it pays tuition for each resident student in grades 9 through 12 to attend an approved high school.

That means families here don't pay the high-school tuition themselves — the town does, at the tuition rate the state sets each year.

Question 5

Which high school — and do we get a choice?

Accepted Answer

Students from the town have high school choice. Most local teenagers attend Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, the area's town academy, but a student may instead choose another approved Maine high school — Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro and Boothbay Region High School are two nearby ones families pick.

The town pays the approved tuition to whichever school the student attends. Choosing a school farther away, or a boarding option, can add costs the town doesn't cover, so confirm what's included before you decide.

Question 6

What is Lincoln Academy — is it public or private?

Accepted Answer

Lincoln Academy is a "town academy": an independent, non-religious school, founded in 1801, that serves as the area's public high school. For local families it works like the public high school — day students from its sending towns (Damariscotta, Newcastle, Bremen, Bristol, South Bristol, Jefferson, and Nobleboro) attend with the town paying tuition.

It sits at 81 Academy Hill in Newcastle, just across the river. The school also enrolls boarding students from elsewhere, but that is separate from the local town-tuition arrangement. More at www.lincolnacademy.org.

Question 7

Does the town pay the whole cost of high school?

Accepted Answer

The town pays the state-approved tuition rate for a resident student in grades 9 through 12 — that covers the tuition itself. Some things sit outside it: boarding, and certain trips, activities, or fees can be the family's to pay.

The tuition rate is set each year, so for exact figures and what's covered, check with the high school and the RSU 48 office rather than relying on a number that may have changed.

Question 8

Who do I ask, and where can I read more?

Accepted Answer

For pre-K through grade 8: Great Salt Bay Community School — 207-506-2633, www.greatsaltbayschool.org.

For grades 9 through 12: Lincoln Academy — www.lincolnacademy.org — or the RSU 48 central office for the tuition and choice paperwork.

The Lincoln County News (lcnme.com) reports on school board decisions between these pages.

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