Maine
U.S.
Rank
Rank
#26
Overall PPI Score: 69%
The Pine Tree State moves up seven slots for parent power this year, resulting from very powerful parents who challenged their state's restriction on utilizing religious schools in their 150 year old choice program. Still, it is dependent on not having a high school so real opportunity is limited here as is among the tiny charter school environment. Thankfully innovation is alive in districts like St. George Municipal School Unit, which ceded from its district to be able to personalize education for students to achieve success in the future.
Opportunity
Innovation
Policy Environment
Charter Schools
Score
62%
Grade: D
Rank: #40
The beauty of Maine notwithstanding, the environment for charters here is hardly green. Maine has the seventh weakest state in the nation.
Transformational Learning
Score
72%
Grade: C
Rank: #39
Career and Technical education is a major focus in Maine, empowering middle and high school students to participate in programming at one of the state’s 27 CTE centers, and even graduate with a CTE diploma. While Innovation Public Zones are allowed, the...
Leadership
Governor Mills, the daughter of a public-school teacher and someone who raised five daughters who attended public schools, has yet to publicly acknowledge the power of school choice. Her leadership impartiality is mirrored in the state legislature. It may be...
Choice Programs (Scholarships, Vouchers, Tax Credits, etc.)
Score
75%
Grade: C
Rank: #15
The second oldest program in the country, dating back to 1873, made its Supreme Court debut in 2022! While the program has always permitted students who do not have public schools in their towns to take their money to non-sectarian schools of choice, some...
DID YOU KNOW?
Thanks to bold state efforts, one in five students now have access to expansive opportunities for a myriad of learning approaches across public and private sectors, with more than 20 million eligible — a 60% increase in just two years!
Transparency
While not clearly accessible using the dropdowns on Maine’s Department of Education homepage, school report cards can be found using the search bar or by accessing the “ESSA Dashboard” section. Measures like student demographics, per-pupil spending, teacher...
Teacher Quality
One of many data points to assess whether a state has the right policies in place to ensure teacher quality is the "use of student achievement data in teacher preparation accountability." How empty or full the fuel tank above is will give you the answer for your state.
Fast Facts:
4th Grade Math Proficiency: 33%
8th Grade Math Proficiency: 24%
4th Grade Reading Proficiency: 30%
8th Grade Reading Proficiency: 30%
Average SAT Score: 1080 / 1600
Average ACT Score: 17.6 / 36
Graduation Rate: 86.1%
Constitutional Issues
Blaine is dead and opportunity is consequently growing in the Pine Tree state. In December 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court argued in Carson v. Makin and in a 6-3 ruling, that a state may not prohibit families that participate in educational choice programs from...