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Enrollment has declined in more Maine school districts over last 5 years than national average

Maine Public | By Madi Smith
Published August 11, 2025 at 8:27 AM EDT
School busses parked near Lisbon High School on August 5, 2025.
Madi Smith
/
Maine Public
School busses parked near Lisbon High School on August 5, 2025.

Enrollment has declined in more of Maine school districts over the last five years than the national average, according to new research.

Nationwide, 68% of school districts polled by the nonprofit research firm Bellwether experienced enrollment declines between 2019 and 2024.

But in Maine, 73% of districts saw a decline over that time.

According to Bellwether's data, some districts in the state saw double digit declines in enrollment including RSU 49 in Fairfield, RSU 22 in Hampden, and RSU 3 in Unity.

This declining enrollment contributed to school closures, which Maine saw more of in 2025 than 2024.

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New England News Collaborative
Madi Smith
Journalist Madi Smith is Maine Public's Emerging Voices Journalism Fellow this year and is sponsored by support from the Abbagadassett Foundation.
See stories by Madi Smith

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Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

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