Lincoln Academy

Lincoln Academy (Lincoln or LA) is a private boarding and day school and town academy located in Newcastle, Maine, serving students in Lincoln County, the United States, and other nations around the world. Lincoln Academy is the fourth oldest secondary school in Maine. The majority of Lincoln Academy students live in local sending towns, including Newcastle, Damariscotta, Bristol, Jefferson, Nobleboro, and South Bristol. Similar to other town academies, the sending towns pay tuition for local students. History In 1801, the General Court of Massachusetts established Lincoln Academy to promote "Piety, Religion and Morality". 178 people from nine towns signed the original petition and donated over $3,000 to found the school. Lincoln Academy opened in October 1805 in a wooden building on River Road in Newcastle with 74 students. The tuition cost $257 per year and was paid by students' families. Later in 1828, a fire destroyed the original building and a new one was constructed on Academy Hill road. To this day, the building supporting the bell tower serves as the central building of the high school. Lincoln Academy formerly served as a "fitting school for Bowdoin College" from 1805 until 1903. The Maine Legislature then passed a law that mandated secondary education be funded by the local towns. As a result, many adults enrolled at LA causing an increase in enrollment and a dramatic change in the nature of the student body. By 1906, the school body was composed of those preparing for Bowdoin College with a required exam for admission. The exam was later discontinued in the 1930s resulting in Lincoln becoming a public high school. Enrollment increased during the 1950s and 1960s and increased again upon the closure of Bristol High School in 1969. In the 1970s, the school eliminated differentiated diplomas, and course and graduation requirements were increased. Later, the school joined the Bath Regional Vocational Program and then Rockland Vocational Center. Today, Lincoln Academy serves as a private high school for students from surrounding towns.