Living Here / Schools

The schools of RSU 21 (covering Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel) are among the finest in the state. In 2022, Kennebunk High School was named the No. 2 high school in Maine by U.S. News and World Report, and our middle school (Middle School of the Kennebunks at No. 11) and elementary schools (Consolidated Elementary School at number eight) made the top lists as well.

As an added bonus, both the Middle School of the Kennebunks and Kennebunk High School are International Baccalaureate schools, offering students a world-class learning opportunity valued by colleges in the U.S. and abroad.

In addition, the district offers new and renovated buildings, a STEM program, robotics programs, AP

(207) 985-1100 • rsu21.net offerings and expansive athletic programs. There are six schools in RSU 21, including:

• Mildred L. Day School, Arundel (K-5);

• Kennebunkport Consolidated School

• Kennebunk Elementary School (K-3);

• Sea Road School, Kennebunk (4-5);

• Middle School of the Kennebunks (6-8); and

• Kennebunk High School (9-12).

White Columns, Kennebunkport

White Columns in the heart of Kennebunkport offers visitors a chance to tour an 1853 Greek Revival home and view exhibitions covering two centuries of local history, from sea captains to presidents.

Guided tours present stories and artifacts from the lives of Charles and Celia Perkins, whose fortunes were connected to the thriving shipbuilding era of Kennebunkport. The museum also features sea captains and shipbuilders to rusticators to Kennebunkport’s most famous summer resident, late President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush and their family.

There is also a museum store with a selection of maritime history collectibles, presidential memorabilia, and unique Kennebunkport treasures.

— Kennebunkport Historical Society

Arundel history

In the mid-1600s, Arundel’s first settlers kept close to the coastline both for easy access to the ocean and to escape from local Native Americans. The settlers finally abandoned the settlement in the late 1600s and did not return until around 1720 when relations with Native Americans improved.

The new settlement, named Arundel, grew along the Kennebunk River. After 1750, people began to settle west of what is now Route 1 and started farming the rest of Arundel. Around 1800, as the religious climate changed, small churches and meeting houses served to draw the local people together. Although those small churches have disappeared, several of the early farms and a few of the farmhouses still exist today.

When Arundel’s secession from Kennebunkport became official in 1916, it lost its direct connection with the coast and remained a rural town composed primarily of farms.

Today, Arundel is one of the fastest-growing towns in the state, and is home to both industry and local businesses, while maintaining much of its rural character.

— Arundel Historical Society