Maine
569 Schools209 Districts169K Students
$25,124
Avg Per-Pupil Spend
+75% nat'l40.0%
Free Lunch Rate
-12.2pp vs nat'l84.0%
Graduation Rate
-2.5pp vs nat'l42/100
Opportunity Score
LimitedAbout Maine Public Schools
Maine's public school system is distinguished by its extreme geographic dispersion and aging demographic — it has the oldest median-age population of any US state, which drives a declining K-12 enrollment trend that threatens the viability of small rural schools. The state has 246 school administrative units, many serving tiny populations across forested, coastal, and island communities. Maine piloted a proficiency-based graduation model, which became state law in 2012 before being made optional in 2018 after pushback from districts. Per-pupil spending is above average, and the state's small class sizes and locally engaged communities produce academic outcomes that exceed what demographic benchmarks would predict. The Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) is the state's primary accountability instrument.
Largest District
Portland Public Schools
6,475 students
Highest Per-Pupil
Chebeague Island Public Schools
$102,200/student
Top Graduation Rate
Gorham Public Schools
97.5% grad rate
School Districts (209)
Per-pupil spending in Maine ranges from $11,268 to $102,200 across districts with available data. State avg: $25,124.
| District | Schools | Students | Per-Pupil | Grad Rate | Free Lunch | Opp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medium Districts — 1,000–9,999 Students | ||||||
| Portland Public Schools | 16 | 6,475 | $21,987↓12% | 86.1% | 44.3%↑11% | 44 |
| Lewiston Public Schools | 7 | 5,083 | $19,119↓24% | 73.0%↓13% | 61.3%↑53% | 46 |
| Bangor Public Schools | 10 | 3,454 | $16,993↓32% | 83.0% | 46.0%↑15% | 41 |
| RSU 06/MSAD 06 | 8 | 3,283 | $17,036↓32% | 84.0% | 30.6%↓24% | 41 |
| RSU 17/MSAD 17 | 10 | 3,223 | $15,682↓38% | 81.0% | 47.6%↑19% | 41 |
| Auburn Public Schools | 8 | 3,219 | $29,264↑16% | 77.0%↓8% | 50.2%↑26% | 41 |
| Sanford Public Schools | 5 | 3,214 | $20,518↓18% | 87.0% | 45.3%↑13% | 42 |
| RSU 14 | 6 | 3,143 | $19,369↓23% | 90.0%↑7% | 23.8%↓41% | 36 |
| South Portland Public Schools | 8 | 3,081 | $16,890↓33% | 89.0%↑6% | 23.9%↓40% | — |
| RSU 57/MSAD 57 | 7 | 2,924 | $16,402↓35% | 85.0% | 29.3%↓27% | — |
| RSU 60/MSAD 60 | 7 | 2,909 | $17,397↓31% | 87.0% | 26.4%↓34% | 44 |
| Scarborough Public Schools | 6 | 2,891 | $20,801↓17% | 95.0%↑13% | 7.1%↓82% | — |
| Gorham Public Schools | 5 | 2,737 | $18,388↓27% | 97.5%↑16% | 16.8%↓58% | 43 |
| RSU 18 | 8 | 2,599 | $16,906↓33% | 87.0% | 30.1%↓25% | 44 |
| RSU 75/MSAD 75 | 7 | 2,380 | $21,504↓14% | 87.0% | 21.8%↓45% | 42 |
| Brunswick Public Schools | 4 | 2,363 | $19,574↓22% | 92.0%↑9% | 29.7%↓26% | 34 |
| Westbrook Public Schools | 5 | 2,335 | $21,179↓16% | 82.0% | 61.6%↑54% | 44 |
| Biddeford Public Schools | 5 | 2,314 | $19,228↓23% | 87.0% | 54.6%↑37% | — |
| RSU 21 | 6 | 2,301 | $22,399↓11% | 92.0%↑9% | 11.0%↓72% | 41 |
| RSU 22 | 7 | 2,278 | $15,560↓38% | 92.0%↑9% | 28.5%↓29% | 43 |
| RSU 09 | 7 | 2,266 | $17,885↓29% | 82.0% | 49.7%↑24% | 42 |
| RSU 54/MSAD 54 | 7 | 2,229 | $20,604↓18% | 82.0% | 65.6%↑64% | 45 |
| Augusta Public Schools | 6 | 2,213 | $17,884↓29% | 82.0% | 49.2%↑23% | 43 |
| RSU 51/MSAD 51 | 4 | 2,153 | $20,613↓18% | 97.5%↑16% | 3.4%↓91% | — |
| RSU 35/MSAD 35 | 5 | 2,134 | $18,506↓26% | 94.0%↑12% | 13.2%↓67% | 44 |
| RSU 05 | 6 | 2,069 | $18,155↓28% | 92.0%↑9% | 19.9%↓50% | 46 |
| RSU 52/MSAD 52 | 6 | 1,994 | $16,606↓34% | 87.0% | 24.4%↓39% | 43 |
| Falmouth Public Schools | 3 | 1,989 | $21,506↓14% | 97.5%↑16% | 3.8%↓90% | — |
| RSU 11/MSAD 11 | 6 | 1,949 | $16,146↓36% | 87.0% | 36.6%↓8% | 39 |
| RSU 19 | 5 | 1,931 | $17,420↓31% | 92.0%↑9% | 48.2%↑21% | 41 |
| RSU 02 | 8 | 1,898 | $18,481↓26% | 87.9% | 32.4%↓19% | 43 |
| Saco Public Schools | 5 | 1,897 | $27,829↑11% | — | 25.6%↓36% | 45 |
| RSU 49/MSAD 49 | 6 | 1,895 | $16,967↓32% | 87.0% | 41.0% | 44 |
| RSU 15/MSAD 15 | 5 | 1,835 | $17,306↓31% | 92.0%↑9% | 23.4%↓41% | 49 |
| RSU 40/MSAD 40 | 7 | 1,800 | $16,955↓33% | 87.0% | 44.5%↑11% | 41 |
| RSU 10 | 6 | 1,777 | $23,114↓8% | 83.1% | 66.0%↑65% | 42 |
| RSU 01 - LKRSU | 6 | 1,761 | $22,786↓9% | 82.0% | 33.3%↓17% | 38 |
| RSU 16 | 5 | 1,720 | $16,739↓33% | 87.0% | 34.2%↓14% | 40 |
| RSU 79/MSAD 01 | 5 | 1,715 | $17,705↓30% | 92.0%↑9% | 40.4% | 41 |
| Yarmouth Schools | 4 | 1,679 | $19,575↓22% | 97.5%↑16% | 8.0%↓80% | 40 |
| RSU 61/MSAD 61 | 5 | 1,670 | $22,188↓12% | 87.0% | 52.1%↑30% | — |
| Waterville Public Schools | 4 | 1,651 | $19,811↓21% | 82.0% | 59.2%↑48% | 45 |
| Brewer Public Schools | 2 | 1,604 | $15,654↓38% | 82.0% | 33.3%↓17% | 40 |
| RSU 13 | 6 | 1,538 | $23,992 | 92.0%↑9% | 51.9%↑30% | 40 |
| York Public Schools | 4 | 1,537 | $23,945 | 97.5%↑16% | 13.8%↓65% | 51 |
| Cape Elizabeth Public Schools | 3 | 1,509 | $22,010↓12% | 92.0%↑9% | 5.7%↓86% | 49 |
| RSU 71 | 7 | 1,451 | $21,841↓13% | 87.0% | 45.7%↑14% | 41 |
| RSU 73 | 4 | 1,437 | $18,555↓26% | 72.0%↓14% | 55.9%↑40% | 44 |
| RSU 34 | 5 | 1,425 | $17,347↓31% | 82.0% | 50.3%↑26% | 33 |
| Wells-Ogunquit CSD | 3 | 1,407 | $20,393↓19% | 97.5%↑16% | 14.6%↓63% | 43 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and Opportunity Atlas. Figures reflect the most recent available federal dataset (2021-22 / 2022-23). Learn more about our data sources.