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K-12 education in Maine | |
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Education facts | |
State superintendent: Pender Makin | |
Number of students: 185,739 | |
Number of teachers: 15,222 | |
Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:12 | |
Number of school districts: 174 | |
Number of schools: 617 | |
Graduation rate: 86.4% | |
Per-pupil spending: $12,147 | |
See also | |
Maine Department of Education • List of school districts in Maine • Maine • School boards portal | |
Public education in the United States Public education in Maine Glossary of education terms | |
Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given are the most recent as of June 2015, with school years noted in the text or footnotes. |
The Maine public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2013 Maine had 185,739 students enrolled in a total of 617 schools in 255 school districts. There were 15,222 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 12 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. There was roughly one administrator for every 204 students, compared to the national average of one administrator for every 295 students. On average Maine spent $12,147 per pupil in 2013, which ranked it 15th highest in the nation. The state's graduation rate was 86.4 percent in 2013.[1][2][3]
Common Core, or the Common Core State Standards Initiative, is an American education initiative that outlines quantifiable benchmarks in English and mathematics at each grade level from kindergarten through high school. The Maine Department of Education adopted the standards on April 4, 2011. Full implementation took place during the 2012-2013 academic year.[4][5]
Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) signed a bill in June of 2015 requiring the state to pull out of its partnership with the Smarter Balanced Consortium, which provided Common Core-aligned state testing for the 2014-2015 school year. As a result, the state was required to find a new testing provider or develop its own tests for the 2015-2016 school year.[6]
The following chart shows how Maine compared to three neighboring states with respect to the number of students, schools, teachers per pupil and administrators per pupil for the 2012-2013 school year. The chart also displays that information at the national level. At $12,147, Maine had the lowest spending per pupil among its neighboring states in the 2012-2013 school year.
Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page.
Regional comparison, 2012-2013 | |||||||
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State | Schools | Districts | Students | Teachers | Teacher to pupil ratio | Admin. to pupil ratio | Per pupil spending* |
Maine | 617 | 255 | 185,739 | 15,222 | 1:12.2 | 1:203.5 | $12,147 |
Massachusetts | 1,854 | 404 | 954,773 | 70,636 | 1:13.5 | 1:206.6 | $14,515 |
New Hampshire | 481 | 288 | 188,974 | 14,925 | 1:12.7 | 1:341.3 | $13,721 |
Vermont | 318 | 361 | 89,624 | 8,403 | 1:10.7 | 1:185.8 | $16,377 |
United States | 98,454 | 18,093 | 49,771,118 | 3,109,101 | 1:16 | 1:294.1 | $10,700 |
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2013. Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 2 - Number of operating public schools and districts, state enrollment, teacher, and pupil teacher ratio, by state: School year 2012–13" United States Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013 (Table 20)" |
Education policy on Ballotpedia |
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Education policy in the U.S. |
Public education in the U.S. |
Higher education by state |
School choice in the U.S. |
Education statistics |
State information |
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The table below breaks down each of the different types of schools in Maine and nearby states. Of the 98,454 schools in the United States, 89,031 were classified as regular schools. After regular schools, magnet schools and charter schools were the most prevalent non-traditional schools in the country, at 6,079 and 5,986, respectively.
Also listed are the numbers of schools in each state that are classified as "Title I" schools. These are public schools that have been specially targeted to correct achievement gaps in public schools.[7]
In Maine, there were 587 regular schools as of 2013. The second most prevalent type of school in the state was vocational schools, with 27 schools.
Number of schools by type, 2012-2013 | |||||||||||||||
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State | Total schools | Regular | Special education | Vocational | Alternative | Charter | Magnet | Title I | |||||||
Maine | 617 | 587 | 3 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 529 | |||||||
Massachusetts | 1,854 | 1,774 | 21 | 39 | 20 | 77 | † | 1,053 | |||||||
New Hampshire | 481 | 481 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | † | 419 | |||||||
Vermont | 318 | 302 | 0 | 15 | 1 | † | 2 | 241 | |||||||
United States | 98,454 | 89,031 | 2,034 | 1,403 | 5,986 | 6,079 | 3,151 | 68,140 | |||||||
† Not applicable. Some states/jurisdictions do not have charter school authorization and some states/jurisdictions do not designate magnet schools. ‡ Reporting standards were not met due to data that were missing for more than 20 percent of schools in the state or jurisdiction. Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," SY 2012–13 Provisional Version 1a |
The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in Maine as reported in the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for 2012-2013.[8]
During the 2012-2013 school year, just over half of all students in K-12 public schools nationwide were white. About a quarter of the students in the country were Hispanic, with black students making up about 16 percent of the student population.
In Maine, the majority of students were white. White students totaled 169,722, which was about 91.4 percent of the student population in the state. There were 5,637 black students in Maine, which accounted for 3 percent of the total student population.
Public education enrollment by race/ethnicity, 2012-2013 | ||||||||
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State | Pop. category | Am. Indian /Alaska Nat. |
Asian | Black | Hawaiian /Pac. Islander |
Hispanic | White | Two or more races |
Maine | Number | 1,521 | 2,875 | 5,637 | 181 | 3,185 | 169,722 | 2,618 |
Percentage | 0.82% | 1.55% | 3.03% | 0.1% | 1.71% | 91.38% | 1.41% | |
Massachusetts | Number | 2,292 | 56,517 | 81,806 | 1,020 | 156,976 | 630,150 | 26,012 |
Percentage | 0.24% | 5.92% | 8.57% | 0.11% | 16.44% | 66% | 2.72% | |
New Hampshire | Number | 582 | 5,541 | 3,579 | 132 | 7,810 | 167,342 | 3,988 |
Percentage | 0.31% | 2.93% | 1.89% | 0.07% | 4.13% | 88.55% | 2.11% | |
Vermont | Number | 257 | 1,603 | 1,759 | 65 | 1,373 | 82,401 | 2,166 |
Percentage | 0.29% | 1.79% | 1.96% | 0.07% | 1.53% | 91.94% | 2.42% | |
United States | Number | 533,098 | 2,363,484 | 7,798,560 | 179,935 | 12,064,310 | 25,366,857 | 1,390,514 |
Percentage** | 1.07% | 4.76% | 15.69% | 0.36% | 24.28% | 51.04% | 2.80% | |
**Note: This is the percentage of all students in the United States that are reported to be of this ethnicity. Source: United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey, 2012-2013" |
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 30 percent of all public school students in the country attended city schools during the 2012-2013 school year. About 40 percent attended suburban schools. Approximately 11.5 percent of all students attended schools in towns, while about 18.7 percent attended rural schools.[9]
A majority of students in Maine attended rural schools during the 2012-2013 school year. Approximately 28 percent of the state's students attended city or suburban schools, compared to the approximately 72 percent who attended rural or town schools.
Student distribution by region type, 2012-2013 (as percents) | |||||||
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State | City schools | Suburban schools | Town schools | Rural schools | |||
Maine | 12% | 16.2% | 17% | 54.7% | |||
Massachusetts | 16.9% | 72.2% | 1.5% | 9.5% | |||
New Hampshire | 14.6% | 36.9% | 14.1% | 34.4% | |||
Vermont | 6.4% | 9.1% | 28.4% | 56% | |||
U.S. averages | 30% | 39.8% | 11.5% | 18.7% | |||
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," SY 2012–13 Provisional Version 1a, accessed May 28, 2015 |
Education terms |
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For more information on education policy terms, see this article. |
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The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont), Maine had the smallest share of students who scored at or above proficient in math and reading.[10]
Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013 | ||||
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Math - Grade 4 | Math - Grade 8 | Reading - Grade 4 | Reading - Grade 8 | |
Maine | 47% | 40% | 37% | 38% |
Massachusetts | 58% | 55% | 47% | 48% |
New Hampshire | 59% | 47% | 45% | 44% |
Vermont | 52% | 47% | 42% | 45% |
United States | 41% | 34% | 34% | 34% |
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables" |
The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Maine and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.[10][11][12]
In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.[13]
Maine schools reported a graduation rate of 86.4 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, the second-lowest among its neighboring states.
In Maine, more students took the SAT than the ACT in 2013, earning an average SAT score of 1380.
Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013 | |||||||
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State | Graduation rate, 2013 | Average ACT composite, 2013 | Average SAT composite, 2013 | ||||
Percent | Quintile ranking** | Score | Participation rate | Score | Participation rate | ||
Maine | 86.4% | First | 23.5 | 8% | 1380 | 95% | |
Massachusetts | 85% | Second | 24.1 | 22% | 1553 | 83% | |
New Hampshire | 87.3% | First | 23.8 | 19% | 1567 | 70% | |
Vermont | 86.6% | First | 23 | 26% | 1540 | 61% | |
United States | 81.4% | 20.9 | 54% | 1498 | 50% | ||
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013" |
The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Maine was higher than the national average at 3.5 percent in the 2010-2011 school year. The dropout rate was lower than the national average at 3.2 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.[14]
School choice options in Maine included charter schools, a limited voucher program, an inter-district enrollment policy and some online learning programs. In addition, about 9.35 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.
On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.[15]
In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.[16]
The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.
Maine is not one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.
According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.[17][18]
Maine spent approximately 16.9 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. The state school systems' revenue came primarily from local funds. When compared to its neighboring states, Maine spent the second lowest percentage of its total budget on public education.
Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013 | |||||||
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State | Percentage of budget | Per pupil spending | Revenue sources | ||||
Percent federal funds | Percent state funds | Percent local funds | |||||
Maine | 16.9% | $12,147 | 7.5% | 40.2% | 52.3% | ||
Massachusetts | 11.2% | $14,515 | 5.1% | 40.2% | 54.7% | ||
New Hampshire | 23.4% | $13,721 | 5.7% | 35.5% | 58.8% | ||
Vermont | 32% | $16,377 | 7.1% | 88.4% | 4.5% | ||
United States | 19.8% | $10,700 | 9.1% | 45.6% | 45.3% | ||
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8). U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8). |
According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.[18]
In Maine, the primary source of school system revenue was local funding, at $1.4 billion. Maine's total revenue, when compared to its neighboring states, was the second lowest during fiscal year 2013.
Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands) | ||||
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State | Federal revenue | State revenue | Local revenue | Total revenue |
Maine | $196,466 | $1,046,527 | $1,361,267 | $2,604,260 |
Massachusetts | $818,054 | $6,428,534 | $8,732,961 | $15,979,549 |
New Hampshire | $163,890 | $1,020,089 | $1,691,687 | $2,875,666 |
Vermont | $114,697 | $1,431,621 | $72,591 | $1,618,909 |
United States | $54,367,305 | $272,916,892 | $270,645,402 | $597,929,599 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1) |
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.[19]
Public education expenditures in Maine totaled approximately $2.5 billion in fiscal year 2012. When compared to neighboring states, Maine reported the second lowest total expenditures.
Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands) | ||||
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State | General expenditures | Capital outlay | Other | Total expenditures |
Maine | $2,330,842 | $121,420 | $83,940 | $2,536,202 |
Massachusetts | $14,151,659 | $1,117,723 | $302,920 | $15,572,302 |
New Hampshire | $2,643,256 | $159,997 | $52,826 | $2,856,080 |
Vermont | $1,497,093 | $46,008 | $25,192 | $1,568,294 |
United States | $527,096,473 | $48,773,386 | $25,897,123 | $601,766,981 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5) |
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Maine, the average salary decreased by one percent.[21]
Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**) | |||||
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1999-2000 | 2009-2010 | 2011-2012 | 2012-2013 | Percent difference | |
Maine | $48,597 | $49,216 | $48,126 | $48,119 | -1% |
Massachusetts | $63,656 | $73,945 | $72,915 | $73,129 | 14.9% |
New Hampshire | $51,567 | $54,912 | $55,079 | $55,599 | 7.8% |
Vermont | $51,600 | $52,394 | $52,160 | $52,526 | 1.8% |
United States | $57,133 | $58,925 | $56,340 | $56,383 | -1.3% |
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state." |
The mission statement of the Maine Department of Education reads:[22]
“ | The Maine Department of Education's mission is to provide leadership and to collaborate with educators and learning communities in order to ensure that every learner has the opportunity to be successful. The Department is working toward an education system that engages and challenges every student, is customized to each student's individual needs and harnesses the power of technology to enhance and individualize learning.[23] | ” |
The Commissioner of Education is the chief official of the Department of Education and is nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the state legislature. Debra Plowman was appointed as acting commissioner in 2016. However, the actual power of the commissioner is vested in the office of the acting deputy commissioner, held by Bill Beardsley. Beardsley was initially appointed acting commissioner on October 16, 2015, by Gov. Paul LePage (R). After Beardsley's temporary term had expired, LePage appointed him acting deputy commissioner and transferred most of the powers of the commissioner to himself and Deputy Commissioner Beardsley.[24][25][26][27]
The Maine State Board of Education "acts in an advisory capacity to the Commissioner of Education in matters concerning state education laws and makes education policy recommendations to the legislative and executive branches of state government."[28]
In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Maine ranked 22nd overall for union power and influence, or "average," which was in the third of five tiers.[29]
The main union related to the Maine school system is the Maine Education Association (MEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA). For the 2003 tax period MEA had $6.47 million in total revenue, $6.63 million in total expenses and $2.63 million in total assets.[30]
List of local Maine school unions:[31]
The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Maine School Boards Association.
Maine’s audit reports are published online by the Department of Audit. The Maine Department of Audit's primary responsibility is to audit the state's financial statements and federal program expenditures.[32]
Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:
Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.
Maine received a score of 78.8, or a C+ average in the "chance for success" category. This was above the national average. The state's highest score was in "school finance" at 83.9, or a B average. The lowest score was in "the teaching profession" at 67.8, or a D+ average. Maine had the second lowest score for "standards, assessments and accountability" in the country at 69.6. The chart below displays the scores of Maine and its surrounding states.[33]
Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.
Public education report cards, 2014 | ||||||
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State | Chance for success | K-12 achievement | Standards, assessments and accountability | The teaching profession | School finance | Transitions and alignment |
Maine | 78.8 (C+) | 72.6 (C) | 69.6 (C-) | 67.8 (D+) | 83.9 (B) | 82.1 (B-) |
Massachusetts | 91.4 (A-) | 83.7 (B) | 88.4 (B+) | 78.7 (C+) | 83.5 (B) | 75.0 (C) |
New Hampshire | 88.0 (B+) | 78.8 (C+) | 76.0 (C) | 63.9 (D) | 81.4 (B-) | 78.6 (C+) |
Vermont | 86.4 (B) | 77.3 (C+) | 82.7 (B) | 70.6 (C-) | 86.0 (B) | 71.4 (C-) |
United States average | 77.3 (C+) | 70.2 (C-) | 85.3 (B) | 72.5 (C) | 75.5 (C) | 81.1 (B-) |
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014" A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here. |
State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.
School districts in Maine are divided into six different types:[34]
School board members are elected by residents of the school district. School boards are composed of at least one member from each municipality or sub-district otherwise stated. In municipalities with annual elections, directors serve three-year terms. In municipalities with biennial elections, directors serve four-year terms. Should a vacancy occur, an interim board member is selected until the next election.[35]
While Maine imposes term limits on statewide offices, they do not impose them on school board members.
No Maine school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2021.
Candidates for local school boards in Maine must:[36]
The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Maine state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Maine education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.