Maine Education Statistics 2026: Schools, Enrollment & Spending
Maine reported 593 operating public schools, 275 operating districts, and 172,545 public school students in school year 2023-24.
Financial measures use FY2024 data released by NCES in April 2026. The publication year does not indicate that every measure covers calendar year 2026.
Maine Education Snapshot
Counts and ratios are from the 2023-24 Common Core of Data. Dollar measures are nominal FY2024 values unless identified as inflation-adjusted.
Maine Public School Enrollment, Fall 2013-2023
Student membership in public elementary and secondary schools
Enrollment declined from 183,995 students in fall 2013 to 172,545 in fall 2023, a decrease of 11,450 students or 6.2%.
Trend analysis
- Enrollment decreased in eight of the ten one-year intervals.
- The largest annual decline in the series occurred between fall 2019 and fall 2020, when membership fell by 7,836 students.
- Enrollment increased in fall 2021 and fall 2022 before declining by 1,308 students in fall 2023.
- Fall 2023 enrollment was 4.3% below the fall 2019 level.
- The enrollment series covers public schools and does not represent private school or home instruction enrollment.
Maine Public Education Indicator Table
The reporting period and unit are retained for each measure to prevent school-year and fiscal-year totals from being treated as one dataset.
| Indicator | Maine value | Unit | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating public schools | 593 | Schools | 2023-24 | CCD school universe |
| Operating public districts | 275 | Districts | 2023-24 | CCD district universe |
| Student membership | 172,545 | Students | 2023-24 | CCD state nonfiscal survey |
| Teachers | 15,288 | FTE teachers | 2023-24 | CCD state nonfiscal survey |
| Pupil-teacher ratio | 11.3 | Students per FTE teacher | 2023-24 | CCD state nonfiscal survey |
| Total education revenue | $3.892B | Nominal dollars | FY2024 | NPEFS |
| Revenue per pupil | $22,556 | Nominal dollars per pupil | FY2024 | NPEFS |
| Total expenditures | $3.877B | Nominal dollars | FY2024 | NPEFS |
| Current expenditures | $3.641B | Nominal dollars | FY2024 | NPEFS |
| Current spending per pupil | $21,103 | Nominal dollars per pupil | FY2024 | NPEFS |
| Instruction spending per pupil | $12,034 | Nominal dollars per pupil | FY2024 | NPEFS |
| Support services per pupil | $8,307 | Nominal dollars per pupil | FY2024 | NPEFS |
| Capital outlay | $147.226M | Nominal dollars | FY2024 | NPEFS |
| Local revenue share | 49.0% | Share of total revenue | FY2024 | Calculated from NPEFS |
| State revenue share | 41.6% | Share of total revenue | FY2024 | Calculated from NPEFS |
| Federal revenue share | 9.3% | Share of total revenue | FY2024 | Calculated from NPEFS |
Table analysis
- Maine operated approximately 2.2 public schools per operating district.
- The statewide pupil-teacher ratio was 3.9 students lower than the U.S. ratio of 15.2.
- FY2024 revenue per pupil was $1,491 above the U.S. value of $21,065.
- Current spending per pupil was $3,459 above the U.S. value of $17,644.
- Current expenditures represented 93.9% of Maine's total FY2024 expenditures.
- Local sources supplied the largest share of Maine education revenue at 49.0%.
- School counts, enrollment, and teacher measures are not finance-year estimates.
Enrollment, School Structure, and Finance Detail
Supporting tables retain the categories published by NCES and show calculations derived directly from the reported totals.
Maine Enrollment Trend Table
Fall public school student membership
| Fall year | Enrollment | Annual change | Annual rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 183,995 | Base year | Base year |
| 2014 | 182,470 | -1,525 | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 181,613 | -857 | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 180,512 | -1,101 | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 180,473 | -39 | Less than -0.1% |
| 2018 | 180,461 | -12 | Less than -0.1% |
| 2019 | 180,291 | -170 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 172,455 | -7,836 | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 173,215 | +760 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 173,853 | +638 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 172,545 | -1,308 | -0.8% |
Table analysis
- Fall 2013 had the highest enrollment in the displayed series at 183,995.
- Fall 2020 had the lowest enrollment at 172,455.
- The fall 2021 and fall 2022 increases recovered 1,398 students from the 2020 level.
- Fall 2023 enrollment remained 90 students above the fall 2020 total.
- Annual changes are calculated from the unrounded enrollment counts.
Regular Public Schools by Level
Counts and average membership for regular operating schools, 2023-24
| School level | Regular schools | Average membership | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prekindergarten | 4 | 54 | 2023-24 |
| Elementary | 351 | 234 | 2023-24 |
| Middle | 83 | 372 | 2023-24 |
| High school | 112 | 459 | 2023-24 |
| Secondary | 0 | Not applicable | 2023-24 |
| Other or ungraded | 9 | 169 | 2023-24 |
The level categories contain 559 regular schools. Maine's total of 593 operating schools also includes schools assigned other NCES instructional types.
Table analysis
- Elementary schools accounted for 351 of 559 regular schools in the level table.
- Regular high schools had the largest average membership at 459 students.
- The nine other or ungraded regular schools averaged 169 students.
- NCES school level and instructional type are separate classifications.
Maine and U.S. Spending per Pupil
FY2024 current expenditure functions in nominal dollars
Maine reported $21,103 in current expenditures per pupil, compared with $17,644 nationally.
Chart analysis
- Maine's current spending per pupil was 19.6% above the U.S. value.
- Instruction spending was $1,705 per pupil higher than the national amount.
- Support services spending was $1,684 per pupil higher than the national amount.
- The amounts are not adjusted for differences in regional prices.
Maine Education Revenue Mix
Local, state, and federal shares of FY2024 revenue
Local sources provided $1.909 billion, state sources provided $1.621 billion, and federal sources provided $362.3 million.
Chart analysis
- Local revenue formed the largest share at 49.0%.
- State revenue accounted for 41.6%.
- Federal revenue accounted for 9.3%.
- Local and state sources together supplied 90.7% of reported revenue.
FY2024 Revenue Sources
Reported revenue in nominal dollars
| Revenue source | Amount | Share | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local | $1.909B | 49.0% | FY2024 |
| State | $1.621B | 41.6% | FY2024 |
| Federal | $362.348M | 9.3% | FY2024 |
| Total | $3.892B | 100.0% | FY2024 |
Table analysis
- Local revenue exceeded state revenue by $287.952 million.
- State revenue exceeded federal revenue by $1.258 billion.
- Percentages are calculated from unrounded amounts and may not sum to exactly 100.0% after display rounding.
FY2024 Current Spending by Function
Instruction, support services, food services, and enterprise operations
| Function | Amount | Per pupil | Current share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instruction | $2.076B | $12,034 | 57.0% |
| Support services | $1.433B | $8,307 | 39.4% |
| Food services | $130.871M | $758 | 3.6% |
| Enterprise operations | $603,000 | $3 | Less than 0.1% |
| Total current expenditures | $3.641B | $21,103 | 100.0% |
Table analysis
- Instruction represented the largest current spending function at $2.076 billion.
- Instruction and support services together accounted for 96.4% of current expenditures.
- Operations and maintenance was the largest support subfunction at $426.949 million.
- Student support services totaled $278.003 million.
- Student transportation totaled $178.061 million.
- Support subfunctions are included within the $1.433 billion support services total and are not additional spending.
FY2024 Total Expenditure Structure
Current operations, capital outlay, other programs, and interest on debt
| Expenditure type | Amount | Share | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current expenditures | $3.641B | 93.9% | FY2024 |
| Capital outlay | $147.226M | 3.8% | FY2024 |
| Other programs | $35.566M | 0.9% | FY2024 |
| Interest on debt | $53.139M | 1.4% | FY2024 |
| Total expenditures | $3.877B | 100.0% | FY2024 |
Table analysis
- Current operations accounted for 93.9% of total expenditures.
- Capital outlay included $80.384 million for construction, $3.366 million for land and existing structures, and $63.476 million for equipment.
- Interest on debt exceeded other-program expenditures by $17.573 million.
- Capital and debt measures are excluded from current expenditures per pupil.
Inflation-Adjusted Per-Pupil Movement
FY2022 through FY2024 amounts expressed in FY2024 dollars
| Fiscal year | Revenue per pupil | Revenue change | Current spending per pupil | Spending change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2022 | $22,637 | Base year | $20,649 | Base year |
| FY2023 | $21,863 | -3.4% | $20,382 | -1.3% |
| FY2024 | $22,556 | +3.2% | $21,103 | +3.5% |
Trend analysis
- Inflation-adjusted revenue per pupil fell in FY2023 and increased in FY2024.
- FY2024 revenue per pupil remained $81 below the inflation-adjusted FY2022 value.
- FY2024 current spending per pupil was $454 above the inflation-adjusted FY2022 value.
- The FY2023 values were converted to FY2024 dollars using the Consumer Price Index method specified by NCES.
What the Maine Data Shows
The indicators describe system scale and reported finances without assigning causes to enrollment or expenditure changes.
Enrollment Scale
Maine served 172,545 public school students in 2023-24, 6.2% fewer than in fall 2013.
School Network
The state reported 593 operating schools across 275 operating districts. NCES definitions may differ from Maine administrative classifications.
Teacher Ratio
The 11.3 pupil-teacher ratio uses statewide membership and teacher FTE totals. It does not measure students assigned to an individual classroom.
Spending Scope
Current expenditures cover day-to-day public education operations. Capital outlay, other programs, and interest on debt are excluded from the per-pupil current spending measure.
Price Differences
The FY2024 Maine-to-U.S. comparison uses nominal dollars and is not adjusted for regional purchasing power or local labor costs.
Reporting Status
The 2023-24 school and district summary uses final CCD data. FY2024 finance figures use the NPEFS provisional version published in April 2026.
Source and Methodology
NCES Common Core of Data, 2023-24 Public School Universe, District Universe, and State Nonfiscal Survey, Final Version 1a.
NCES table of regular operating public schools and average student membership by school level, 2023-24.
Digest of Education Statistics 2024, table 203.20. The series reports fall student membership in public elementary and secondary schools.
NCES National Public Education Financial Survey, FY2024 Provisional Version 1a, published in April 2026 as NCES 2026-008.
Maine Department of Education information on public school enrollment, attendance, and school options.
Statewide public elementary and secondary education. Private schools, postsecondary institutions, and home instruction are outside the main totals.
Revenue shares, expenditure shares, dollar differences, and annual enrollment changes were calculated from unrounded official values. Displayed percentages and amounts are rounded. FY2022 and FY2023 values in the finance trend table were converted by NCES to FY2024 dollars using the CPI for All Urban Consumers adjusted to a July-June school fiscal year.
School counts, enrollment, teacher FTE, revenue, and expenditures measure different parts of the education system. The pupil-teacher ratio is not average class size. Higher or lower spending does not establish school quality or student outcomes. Nominal state comparisons also reflect wage levels, geography, school scale, transportation needs, accounting rules, and other differences not controlled in these tables.