Our Schools
Hartford-Sumner Elementary School (Pre K-Grade 5)
Buckfield Jr. Sr. High School (Grade 6-Grade 12)
Public education for students living in the Town of Buckfield is currently provided through Regional School Unit 10 (RSU 10) – Western Foothills. Buckfield shares its local school community with the neighboring towns of Hartford and Sumner. Students from the three towns attend Hartford-Sumner Elementary School and Buckfield Junior-Senior High School.
Hartford-Sumner Elementary School
Hartford-Sumner Elementary School (HSES) is located at 145 Main Street in Sumner and serves students in pre-kindergarten through grade 5 from Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner.
The school has a long history of serving the three communities. The current facility was built in 1966, with additions completed in 1988 and 1997.
Buckfield Junior-Senior High School
Buckfield Junior-Senior High School (BJSHS) is located at 160 Morrill Street in Buckfield and serves students in grades 6 through 12 from Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner.
The current school building opened for students in 1990 and has served as the secondary school for the three communities for more than three decades.
A Brief History
Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner have shared responsibility for educating their students for generations. In May of 1965, the three towns organized Maine School Administrative District 39 (MSAD 39). For more than four decades, SAD 39 operated the schools serving the three communities, including Hartford-Sumner Elementary School and Buckfield Junior-Senior High School.
That structure changed during Maine’s statewide school consolidation effort. RSU 10 began operating on July 1, 2009, bringing together the communities of former SAD 39 with communities from former SAD 21 and SAD 43, along with Hanover. The newly consolidated district originally included 12 towns and became known as the Western Foothills School District.
The district changed again in 2017. Canton, Carthage, Dixfield, and Peru withdrew from RSU 10 and formed RSU 56, while Byron also withdrew and established its own school administrative unit.
Today, RSU 10 consists of Buckfield, Hartford, Sumner, Hanover, Mexico, Roxbury, and Rumford.
Looking Ahead
In November 2025, voters in Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner each voted to begin the statutory process of exploring withdrawal from RSU 10.
Throughout 2026, withdrawal committees representing the three towns worked through the state-required process, negotiated proposed withdrawal agreements, and began planning for the possibility of reorganizing Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner into a new regional school unit.
Until such a time the withdrawal and reorganization process receives all required approvals including approval from the voters of all three towns, Buckfield remains a member of RSU 10, governed by the RSU 10 school board.
Despite changes in school governance over the years, one thing has remained consistent: Buckfield, Hartford, and Sumner have shared schools and educated their children together for more than 60 years.
Buckfield’s School Board Directors
- Allyson Long - along@rsu10.org (Term Expires June 30, 2028)
- Erin Hinkley - ehinkley@rsu10.org (Term Expires June 30, 2029)