Education in Maine

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Education in Maine" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Education in Maine consists of public and private schools in Maine, including the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, private colleges, and secondary and primary schools.

## Department of Education

[edit]

This article is part of a series on

Education in the
United States
Summary

* By state and in insular areas
* By subject area

History

* California
* Chicago
* Kentucky
* Massachusetts
* Dedham
* Missouri
* New York City
* Southern United States
* Texas

Curriculum topics

* Literacy
* Normal schools
* Apprenticeship degrees
* Art education
* Civic education
* Music education
* Legal education
* Law school
* Medical education
* Medical school
* Nursing degrees
* Environmental education
* Language education
* Mathematics education
* Sex education
* Vocational education

Education policy issues

* Accreditation
* Primary and secondary
* Post-secondary
* Financing
* Educational attainment
* Post-secondary issues
* Bubble
* Cost and financing
* Credentialism
* Elite overproduction
* Graduate unemployment
* Student financial aid
* Student loans
* Public school funding
* Reform
* Charter schools
* Inequality
* Achievement gaps
* Racial achievement gap
* Desegregation busing
* Gender achievement gap
* Head Start
* School choice
* Racial diversity
* School segregation
* Standards-based reform
* School corporal punishment
* School meals
* School violence
* Sexual harassment
* Qatari involvement
* Special education
* Apprenticeship
* School-to-work transition
* Community colleges
* For-profit higher education
* For-profit colleges
* Research universities
* Community school
* Full-service community schools

Levels of education

* Early childhood
* K–12
* Primary
* Secondary
* Post-secondary

* Organizations

Education portal
United States portal

* v
* t
* e

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) administers public education in the state. It is run by a commissioner appointed by the governor. Local municipalities and their respective school districts operate individual public elementary and secondary schools but the DOE audits performance of these schools. The DOE also makes recommendations to state leaders concerning education spending and policies.[1]

## Primary and secondary schools

[edit]

See also: List of school districts in Maine and List of high schools in Maine

Education is compulsory from kindergarten through the twelfth grade, commonly but not exclusively divided into three tiers of primary and secondary education: elementary school, middle school or junior high school and high school.

### Standards

[edit]

The state is participating in a 30-state Common Core State Standards Initiative and assessment of students to replace the New England NECAP test. The state intends to use the new standards by 2015. The test will be given in grades 3-8 and at the end of grade 11 (junior year).[2]

## Public school districts

[edit]

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2011)

|

See also: List of school districts in Maine and List of high schools in Maine

Maine has four types of school departments: the first is a local school, one which serves only one municipality, and is headed by a superintendent. Usually, it serves kindergarten through grade 12, although some only go to grade 8. Usually, independent school districts which do not have a high school are not totally independent; they are part of a school union, the second type of school district.

A school union is two or more school departments that share a superintendent but nothing else; each town has an independent school board. Usually, only one of the schools in the school union has a high school, but unlike MSADs (discussed below), students in the whole school union are not compelled to attend that school. School union students are given a choice of neighboring school districts, and the school union pays for the student's tuition.

The third type is a MSAD (Maine School Administrative District). This is a regional school district that incorporates two or more towns into one school department with one high school and middle school. These towns do not have independent school boards, but instead have one central board governing the entire district. Students are obligated to attend the central high school. Usually, a MSAD comprises one larger town and one or more smaller towns. The larger town is equipped with a high school and middle school, while the surrounding towns have elementary schools as well, but no secondary schools. The elementary schools usually cut off after grade 5 or grade 6. Sometimes, towns in a MSAD do not have an elementary school but possess a high school and/or middle school, whereas the surrounding towns have the elementary schools.

The last type of school district is a CSD (Community School District, sometimes called a Consolidated School District). This usually (but not always) exists in school districts with such a small student population between several towns that the school district cannot justify an elementary school outside the largest town in the district. In rare cases a CSD refers to only a high school of a school union. Sometimes, in towns geographically isolated (such as island towns) the entire student population attends one school grades PK–12.

Students can choose to attend a school in another district if the parents agree to pay the school tuition. Vocational centers are usually regional, so one school department will administer a technical center but other school districts will transport their students there to take classes.

## Private schools

[edit]

Private schools are less common than public schools. A large number of private elementary schools with under 20 students exist, but most private high schools in Maine can be perceived as "semi-private." This means that while it costs money to send children there, towns will make a contract with a school to take children from a town or MSAD at a slightly reduced rate. Often this is done when it is deemed cheaper to subsidize private tuition than build a whole new school when a private one already exists.

In addition to the many private elementary schools, there are several well-known private high schools and K-12 schools including Fryeburg Academy, Waynflete School, Berwick Academy, and Cheverus High School.

## Magnet schools

[edit]

Maine has one major magnet school: The Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone. Another specialty public school exists in Portland: the Maine School of Performing Arts.

## Colleges and universities

[edit]

Further information: List of colleges and universities in Maine

The University of Maine System is the largest educational enterprise in the state, comprising seven universities across various campuses. It has an annual enrollment of nearly 30,000 students and significantly impacts the state's economy. The system is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) and offers a wide range of degree programs both onsite and online.[3]

The Maine Community College System includes seven colleges with a total enrollment of approximately 17,500 students. The system has seen increased enrollment due to initiatives like the Free College Scholarship program, which allows recent high school graduates to pursue two-year degrees or certifications without tuition fees.[4] This program has significantly boosted enrollment numbers beyond pre-pandemic levels.[5]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "| Department of Education". www.maine.gov. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
2. ^ Walsh, Molly (14 September 2010). "Vermont joins 30 others in Common Core". Burlington, Vermont: Burlington Free Press. pp. 1B. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012.
3. ^ "University of Maine System". University of Maine System. 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
4. ^ "Home". Maine Community College System. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
5. ^ Blake, Jessica. "More Access Means More Enrollment for Maine Community Colleges". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 2024-10-22.

## External links

[edit]

* Maine Department of Education
* 2008 AP test results - College Board press release

* v
* t
* e

Education in the United States by political division

States|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

Federal district|

Washington, D.C.

Territories|

* American Samoa
* Guam
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Puerto Rico
* U.S. Virgin Islands

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template