Education

Owl's Head, South Thomaston and Rockland joined to form School Administrative District No. 5 (S.A.D. #5) in 1959. In the process, Owl's Head's Central School located on Ash Point Drive, which had only recently been constructed, was absorbed into the S.A.D. #5 system together with the Guilford Butler School in South Thomaston and Rockland's five schools.

As the system is presently constituted, all Owl's Head and South Thomaston students from kindergarten through second grade attend the South Thomaston school. At the third grade level they move to Owl's Head school, where they remain at least through fifth grade. At the sixth grade level they have the option of remaining at Owl's Head for that year, or they can elect to go to Rockland. Beginning with the seventh grade, students from all three towns are then educated in the Rockland public school system.

Funding for the school system is based upon a complex formula developed by the State. The State contributes a certain amount each year to each school district, and the balance is apportioned among the three towns according to each town's assessed property evaluation. The comparatively rapid rise in Owl's Head property tax evaluation because of the large amount of shore front property has caused its share of the S.A.D. #5 budget to rise disproportionately. In the school year of 1994-95, for example, Owl's Head payed approximately 22% of the S.A.D.#5 cost assessed to these towns but had only 11% of the total number of students.

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