What Maine School Districts Spend Per Student
The median Maine school district spends $18,054 per student per year, $3,511 above the national median of $14,543, across all 200 districts the state reports. The 189 of them a ZIP code can reach are listed below, and their 169,162 students account for $3.0 billion of current spending in fiscal year 2022.
Maine at a Glance
| Median district, per student | $18,054 |
|---|---|
| National median district | $14,543 |
| Districts listed | 189 of 200 |
| Students listed | 169,162 |
| Median district, math | ≈33% |
| Median district, reading | ≈55% |
Every Maine District, by Enrollment
Spending is current spending divided by fall membership for fiscal year 2022. Proficiency and graduation rates are school year 2018-19, the last year before the pandemic interrupted state testing, so the money and the results are not from the same year. A figure marked ≈ is one the federal file published as a range rather than a value, so small groups of children stay unidentifiable; it is the middle of that range and within ten points of the real one. A dash means the federal files publish no value under that district's ID. 11 further Maine districts are missing because the federal boundary file places them in no ZIP code, which is normal for charter and virtual districts with no attendance area.
| District | Students | Per student | Math | Reading | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | 6,472 | $20,442 | 35% | 55% | 86% |
| Lewiston | 5,182 | $17,099 | 16% | 30% | 73% |
| Bangor | 3,494 | $16,534 | 52% | 69% | 83% |
| School Administrative District 06 | 3,336 | $16,246 | 25% | 49% | 84% |
| Auburn | 3,276 | $14,127 | 27% | 47% | 77% |
| School Administrative District 17 | 3,253 | $15,117 | 23% | 43% | 81% |
| Sanford | 3,167 | $17,120 | 33% | 48% | 87% |
| Regional School Unit 14 | 3,117 | $18,485 | 33% | 60% | 90% |
| School Administrative District 60 | 2,987 | $16,848 | 36% | 60% | 87% |
| School Administrative District 57 | 2,903 | $15,651 | 37% | 54% | 85% |
| South Portland | 2,890 | $16,364 | 38% | 58% | 89% |
| Scarborough | 2,880 | $19,683 | 54% | 75% | 95% |
| Regional School Unit 18 | 2,792 | $14,717 | 35% | 57% | ≈87% |
| Gorham | 2,761 | $16,917 | 46% | 68% | ≈98% |
| Saco Public Schools (elementary district) | 2,713 | $13,598 | 41% | 59% | — |
| Regional School Unit 21 | 2,445 | $18,898 | 57% | 74% | ≈92% |
| School Administrative District 75 | 2,415 | $18,947 | 40% | 59% | ≈87% |
| Brunswick | 2,397 | $18,567 | 44% | 63% | ≈92% |
| Westbrook | 2,381 | $19,236 | 28% | 45% | ≈82% |
| Biddeford | 2,350 | $18,043 | 26% | 48% | ≈87% |
| Regional School Unit 09 | 2,255 | $16,427 | 30% | 51% | ≈82% |
| Regional School Unit 22 | 2,253 | $15,014 | 42% | 66% | ≈92% |
| School Administrative District 54 | 2,240 | $19,625 | 30% | 49% | ≈82% |
| Augusta | 2,133 | $17,156 | 34% | 49% | ≈82% |
| School Administrative District 35 | 2,132 | $17,761 | 54% | 69% | 94% |
| School Administrative District 51 | 2,102 | $19,859 | 65% | 81% | ≈98% |
| Falmouth | 2,011 | $20,640 | 66% | 81% | ≈98% |
| Regional School Unit 05 | 1,994 | $17,391 | 55% | 70% | ≈92% |
| School Administrative District 11 | 1,961 | $15,413 | 33% | 52% | ≈87% |
| School Administrative District 52 | 1,933 | $15,798 | 37% | 52% | ≈87% |
| School Administrative District 49 | 1,922 | $15,661 | 36% | 51% | ≈87% |
| Regional School Unit 02 | 1,904 | $17,389 | 27% | 53% | ≈87% |
| Regional School Unit 19 | 1,897 | $15,644 | 20% | 42% | ≈92% |
| School Administrative District 40 | 1,825 | $16,287 | 29% | 49% | ≈87% |
| Regional School Unit 10 | 1,808 | $21,221 | 22% | 45% | ≈87% |
| School Administrative District 15 | 1,802 | $16,715 | 41% | 61% | ≈92% |
| Regional School Unit 01 | 1,801 | $20,381 | 34% | 56% | ≈82% |
| Regional School Unit 16 | 1,708 | $15,544 | 39% | 54% | ≈87% |
| School Administrative District 01 | 1,687 | $16,806 | 35% | 55% | ≈92% |
| Waterville | 1,655 | $18,852 | 30% | 51% | ≈82% |
| Brewer | 1,638 | $14,949 | 36% | 55% | ≈82% |
| School Administrative District 61 | 1,636 | $20,442 | 27% | 50% | ≈87% |
| Yarmouth | 1,622 | $18,485 | 66% | 79% | ≈98% |
| York | 1,568 | $22,697 | 54% | 76% | ≈98% |
| Regional School Unit 13 | 1,542 | $22,526 | 26% | 49% | ≈87% |
| Cape Elizabeth | 1,485 | $21,565 | 67% | 82% | ≈92% |
| Regional School Unit 34 | 1,440 | $16,757 | 33% | 52% | ≈82% |
| Regional School Unit 71 | 1,415 | $20,461 | 24% | 48% | ≈87% |
| Wells-Ogunquit Community School District | 1,386 | $19,506 | 45% | 64% | ≈98% |
| Regional School Unit 73 | 1,385 | $17,599 | 25% | 43% | ≈72% |
| Hermon | 1,365 | $12,440 | 39% | 59% | ≈92% |
| Regional School Unit 04 | 1,345 | $16,593 | 21% | 45% | ≈82% |
| Ellsworth Public Schools | 1,306 | $18,341 | 37% | 56% | ≈87% |
| School Administrative District 29 | 1,278 | $14,609 | 32% | 59% | ≈92% |
| Regional School Unit 12 (elementary district) | 1,252 | $12,672 | 28% | 51% | — |
| Lisbon | 1,249 | $14,568 | 32% | 47% | ≈92% |
| Regional School Unit 38 | 1,181 | $18,368 | 35% | 60% | ≈92% |
| Regional School Unit 39 | 1,163 | $16,915 | 27% | 44% | ≈82% |
| School Administrative District 72 (elementary district) | 1,158 | $12,012 | 23% | 52% | — |
| Winslow | 1,103 | $17,099 | 29% | 59% | ≈82% |
| Regional School Unit 25 | 1,080 | $16,610 | 26% | 56% | ≈92% |
| School Administrative District 03 | 1,056 | $17,252 | 21% | 45% | ≈87% |
| School Administrative District 64 | 1,049 | $14,533 | 28% | 52% | ≈87% |
| School Administrative District 55 | 988 | $16,597 | 36% | 49% | ≈87% |
| Kittery | 948 | $21,653 | 42% | 63% | ≈85% |
| School Administrative District 68 (elementary district) | 937 | $9,332 | 30% | 52% | — |
| Regional School Unit 67 | 933 | $15,582 | 29% | 47% | ≈82% |
| Winthrop | 845 | $16,310 | 39% | 62% | ≈85% |
| School Administrative District 53 (elementary district) | 840 | $13,100 | 26% | 51% | — |
| School Administrative District 46 | 837 | $19,800 | 23% | 44% | ≈87% |
| Regional School Unit 26 | 827 | $18,406 | 55% | 69% | ≈92% |
| School Administrative District 27 | 827 | $16,497 | 27% | 53% | ≈98% |
| Regional School Unit 24 | 789 | $21,619 | 23% | 52% | ≈95% |
| Regional School Unit 56 | 737 | $18,771 | 19% | 44% | ≈85% |
| School Administrative District 28 (elementary district) | 722 | $20,472 | 51% | 66% | — |
| Five Town Community School District (high school district) | 697 | $18,505 | ≈57% | ≈77% | ≈92% |
| School Administrative District 44 | 684 | $18,197 | 39% | 61% | ≈75% |
| School Administrative District 37 | 664 | $17,875 | 41% | 59% | ≈85% |
| Regional School Unit 23 | 625 | $27,221 | 27% | 53% | ≈95% |
| School Administrative District 41 | 622 | $19,585 | 15% | 32% | ≈85% |
| Calais | 603 | $16,829 | ≈27% | ≈52% | ≈95% |
| School Administrative District 58 | 599 | $19,058 | 41% | 55% | ≈95% |
| School Administrative District 23 (elementary district) | 590 | $16,193 | 39% | 54% | — |
| School Administrative District 59 | 580 | $21,498 | 23% | 45% | ≈95% |
| School Administrative District 74 | 567 | $21,383 | 24% | 47% | ≈85% |
| School Administrative District 63 (elementary district) | 549 | $16,024 | 45% | 59% | — |
| School Administrative District 04 | 525 | $15,890 | 30% | 51% | ≈85% |
| Vassalboro (elementary district) | 513 | $14,655 | 32% | 53% | — |
| Mount Desert Community School District (high school district) | 508 | $22,547 | ≈52% | ≈82% | ≈87% |
| Machias | 493 | $14,771 | ≈42% | ≈52% | ≈90% |
| Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District | 483 | $23,741 | ≈37% | ≈57% | ≈85% |
| School Administrative District 70 | 479 | $17,163 | 43% | 68% | ≈70% |
| School Administrative District 20 | 469 | $16,844 | 35% | 52% | ≈70% |
| Millinocket | 440 | $16,632 | 25% | 49% | ≈85% |
| Wiscasset Public Schools | 440 | $22,618 | 17% | 43% | ≈75% |
| Regional School Unit 20 | 438 | $25,205 | 26% | 41% | ≈85% |
| School Administrative District 31 | 436 | $19,234 | ≈27% | ≈47% | ≈95% |
| Orrington (elementary district) | 416 | $12,041 | 41% | 68% | — |
| Glenburn (elementary district) | 415 | $16,241 | 39% | 61% | — |
| Madawaska | 399 | $20,697 | ≈32% | ≈57% | ≈95% |
| Great Salt Bay Community School District (elementary district) | 392 | $17,138 | 42% | 66% | — |
| School Administrative District 42 | 365 | $16,408 | ≈27% | ≈52% | ≈75% |
| Blue Hill (elementary district) | 354 | $12,277 | ≈37% | ≈57% | — |
| Regional School Unit 50 | 339 | $16,171 | ≈32% | ≈57% | ≈90% |
| Bar Harbor (elementary district) | 332 | $24,006 | 58% | 78% | — |
| Deer Isle-Stonington Community School District | 315 | $22,689 | ≈17% | ≈42% | ≈90% |
| Jefferson (elementary district) | 306 | $11,222 | ≈37% | ≈62% | — |
| Baileyville | 302 | $20,715 | ≈17% | ≈42% | ≈75% |
| Milford (elementary district) | 290 | $16,800 | 33% | 47% | — |
| School Administrative District 45 | 289 | $18,561 | ≈22% | ≈47% | ≈90% |
| Regional School Unit 89 | 280 | $20,729 | ≈32% | ≈47% | ≈90% |
| Bristol (elementary district) | 270 | $14,163 | ≈52% | ≈72% | — |
| School Administrative District 24 | 263 | $19,468 | ≈17% | ≈42% | ≈70% |
| School Administrative District 32 | 244 | $21,176 | ≈22% | ≈57% | ≈90% |
| East Millinocket | 242 | $17,525 | ≈32% | ≈47% | ≈90% |
| School Administrative District 33 | 237 | $24,114 | ≈32% | ≈67% | ≈90% |
| East Machias (elementary district) | 232 | $10,272 | ≈22% | ≈47% | — |
| Acton (elementary district) | 230 | $20,304 | ≈32% | ≈62% | — |
| Easton | 227 | $19,463 | ≈47% | ≈67% | — |
| School Administrative District 30 (elementary district) | 227 | $15,040 | ≈27% | ≈47% | — |
| Hancock Public Schools (elementary district) | 221 | $18,317 | ≈22% | ≈47% | — |
| Nobleboro (elementary district) | 214 | $12,453 | ≈47% | ≈72% | — |
| Dedham (elementary district) | 209 | $14,249 | ≈47% | ≈72% | — |
| Lincolnville (elementary district) | 209 | $18,397 | ≈47% | ≈72% | — |
| St. George Public Schools (elementary district) | 200 | $25,090 | ≈37% | ≈52% | — |
| Surry (elementary district) | 196 | $10,872 | ≈22% | ≈52% | — |
| Veazie (elementary district) | 194 | $17,665 | ≈57% | ≈67% | — |
| Regional School Unit 78 | 187 | $25,123 | ≈32% | ≈57% | — |
| Greenville | 181 | $22,326 | ≈37% | ≈57% | ≈90% |
| Greenbush (elementary district) | 171 | $16,333 | ≈17% | ≈42% | — |
| School Administrative District 13 | 169 | $24,846 | ≈27% | ≈47% | — |
| School Administrative District 08 | 166 | $25,669 | ≈17% | ≈37% | — |
| Eastport | 152 | $21,559 | ≈15% | ≈45% | ≈90% |
| Hope (elementary district) | 152 | $24,730 | ≈52% | ≈62% | — |
| Woodland (elementary district) | 146 | $15,178 | ≈27% | ≈57% | — |
| Mount Desert (elementary district) | 145 | $31,179 | ≈62% | ≈77% | — |
| Edgecomb (elementary district) | 142 | $17,669 | ≈52% | ≈67% | — |
| Limestone Public Schools (elementary district) | 141 | $25,170 | — | — | — |
| Trenton (elementary district) | 140 | $24,857 | ≈37% | ≈62% | — |
| School Administrative District 12 | 136 | $20,765 | ≈37% | ≈47% | — |
| Sedgwick (elementary district) | 133 | $14,910 | ≈17% | ≈37% | — |
| Southwest Harbor (elementary district) | 133 | $29,684 | ≈52% | ≈67% | — |
| School Administrative District 14 | 128 | $27,367 | ≈32% | ≈42% | — |
| Lamoine Public Schools (elementary district) | 121 | $18,066 | ≈47% | ≈77% | — |
| Princeton (elementary district) | 121 | $16,818 | ≈27% | ≈37% | — |
| Sebago Public Schools (elementary district) | 121 | $19,347 | ≈32% | ≈57% | — |
| Athens (elementary district) | 120 | $20,842 | ≈52% | ≈62% | — |
| Appleton (elementary district) | 119 | $25,496 | ≈52% | ≈67% | — |
| Jonesport (elementary district) | 111 | $16,982 | ≈12% | ≈37% | — |
| Northport Public Schools (elementary district) | 109 | $23,413 | ≈37% | ≈67% | — |
| School Administrative District 19 (elementary district) | 109 | $22,606 | ≈55% | ≈65% | — |
| Tremont (elementary district) | 109 | $31,835 | ≈37% | ≈72% | — |
| South Bristol (elementary district) | 103 | $16,971 | ≈55% | ≈65% | — |
| West Bath Public Schools (elementary district) | 101 | $28,416 | ≈37% | ≈67% | — |
| Otis (elementary district) | 100 | $16,790 | ≈15% | ≈45% | — |
| Eustis (elementary district) | 98 | $24,735 | ≈15% | ≈35% | — |
| Brooksville (elementary district) | 93 | $14,527 | ≈35% | ≈55% | — |
| Cherryfield (elementary district) | 93 | $22,280 | ≈22% | ≈47% | — |
| Medway (elementary district) | 91 | $25,396 | ≈27% | ≈42% | — |
| Penobscot (elementary district) | 91 | $15,286 | ≈42% | ≈62% | — |
| Islesboro | 86 | $28,128 | ≈45% | ≈55% | — |
| Pembroke (elementary district) | 86 | $16,791 | ≈45% | ≈65% | — |
| Cutler (elementary district) | 83 | $11,747 | ≈25% | ≈55% | — |
| Perry (elementary district) | 81 | $15,840 | ≈32% | ≈62% | — |
| Brooklin (elementary district) | 80 | $20,138 | ≈50% | ≈70% | — |
| Machiasport (elementary district) | 78 | $13,936 | ≈25% | ≈55% | — |
| Fayette (elementary district) | 75 | $19,787 | ≈42% | ≈67% | — |
| Castine (elementary district) | 74 | $14,568 | ≈65% | ≈85% | — |
| Harmony (elementary district) | 71 | $17,408 | ≈25% | ≈55% | — |
| Moosabec Community School District (high school district) | 65 | $30,985 | ≈10% | ≈50% | — |
| Jonesboro (elementary district) | 64 | $14,234 | ≈35% | ≈55% | — |
| Georgetown (elementary district) | 54 | $33,000 | ≈47% | ≈52% | — |
| Airline Community School District (elementary district) | 47 | $21,426 | ≈30% | ≈70% | — |
| School Administrative District 07 | 47 | $48,915 | ≈25% | ≈65% | — |
| Alexander (elementary district) | 46 | $21,739 | ≈30% | ≈50% | — |
| Caswell (elementary district) | 46 | $21,196 | ≈50% | ≈30% | — |
| Andover Public Schools (elementary district) | 42 | $20,833 | ≈35% | ≈65% | — |
| Beals (elementary district) | 36 | $27,472 | ≈25% | ≈45% | — |
| Whiting (elementary district) | 33 | $20,727 | ≈30% | ≈50% | — |
| Southport (elementary district) | 29 | $28,103 | ≈50% | ≈70% | — |
| Charlotte (elementary district) | 28 | $25,500 | ≈50% | ≈70% | — |
| East Range Community School District (elementary district) | 22 | $25,591 | — | — | — |
| School Administrative District 76 (elementary district) | 19 | $61,474 | ≈30% | ≈50% | — |
| Cranberry Isles (elementary district) | 15 | $31,000 | — | — | — |
| Long Island (elementary district) | 15 | $30,867 | — | — | — |
| Chebeague Island (elementary district) | 10 | $65,800 | ≈35% | ≈55% | — |
| Wesley (elementary district) | 9 | $25,000 | — | — | — |
| School Administrative District 65 (elementary district) | 6 | $29,667 | — | — | — |
| Monhegan Plantation (elementary district) | 4 | $37,500 | — | — | — |
Sources
Spending and enrollment come from the NCES School District Finance Survey (F-33) for fiscal year 2022. Proficiency and graduation rates come from EDFacts for school year 2018-19. Districts are matched to ZIP codes through the NCES EDGE geographic relationship file. Nothing on this page is estimated or modelled: a figure is read from a federal source file or it is left blank.
Questions About Maine School Spending
How much does the average Maine school district spend per student?
The middle, or median, Maine district spent $18,054 per student in fiscal year 2022, $3,511 above the national median of $14,543. The median is the better summary here: a few very small districts spend several times what a large one does, and an average would follow them. That median covers all 200 districts the state reports. Across the 189 a ZIP code can reach, which are the ones listed on this page, 169,162 students account for $3.0 billion of current spending.
Which Maine districts spend the most and least per student?
Chebeague Island reports the highest figure in the table at $65,800 per student for 10 students, and School Administrative District 68 the lowest at $9,332 for 937 students. Enrollment is the denominator, so a small district with one building and one bus route honestly produces a high figure; read the two columns together.
Why are some Maine districts missing from this table?
Maine has 200 districts with federal finance data and 189 of them appear here. The rest are placed in no ZIP code by the federal boundary file, which is normal for charter and virtual school districts that have no attendance area, so there is no ZIP code a reader could use to find them.
Does this money follow a child who is homeschooled?
No. The figure is what the district spends on a seat in its own schools, funded from local property tax, state formula aid and federal programs. Withdrawing a child removes the child from the count rather than sending the money home. TheHomeschoolingCompany is $1,788 for one student for a school year by comparison, less for each child after the first.
Look Up Your Own District
Enter a ZIP code and the calculator returns the district that serves it, what it spends per student, how its students score, and what the same school year costs at home.
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Spending Per Student in Other States
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