Education in Maine facts for kids
Education in Maine is all about how students learn and grow in the state. It includes public schools, private schools, and colleges where you can go after high school.
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Maine Department of Education
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) helps run public schools across the state. It is led by a person called a commissioner, chosen by Maine's governor. The DOE makes sure schools teach important subjects. They also check how well schools are doing.
Local towns and their school districts run the individual schools. But the DOE checks their progress and gives advice. They also suggest how the state should spend money on schools and what rules to make.
Primary and Secondary Schools
In Maine, you have to go to school from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. Schools are usually split into three main levels:
Learning Standards
Maine uses the Common Core State Standards Initiative. These are guidelines for what students should learn in different subjects. Students in grades 3-8 and in 11th grade take tests based on these standards. This helps make sure students across Maine are learning similar things.
Public School Districts
Maine has different ways that towns organize their public schools. Here are the main types:
- Local School Districts: These serve just one town. They usually have schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. Each town has its own superintendent who leads the schools.
- School Unions: This is when two or more towns share a superintendent. But each town still has its own school board. Often, only one town in the union has a high school. Students from other towns in the union can choose which nearby high school to attend. The school union helps pay for their tuition.
- Maine School Administrative Districts (MSADs): These are regional school districts that combine two or more towns into one big school system. They have one central school board and one high school and middle school for all the towns. Students in an MSAD usually attend the central high school. Often, a larger town has the high school and middle school, while smaller towns have elementary schools.
- Community School Districts (CSDs): These are for areas where towns have a small number of students. Sometimes, a CSD means one school serves all grades (Pre-K through 12) in a few towns, especially on islands. In some cases, a CSD might just be a high school for a school union.
Students can sometimes choose to go to a school in another district if their parents agree to pay for it. Also, many areas have vocational centers. These are special schools where students can learn job skills, like carpentry or health care. Different school districts send their students to these centers for classes.
Private Schools
Private schools are less common than public schools in Maine. Many private elementary schools are small. Some private high schools are called "semi-private." This means towns might pay a private school to educate their students. This can happen if it's cheaper than building a new public school when a good private one is already there.
Some well-known private high schools and K-12 schools in Maine include Fryeburg Academy, Waynflete School, Berwick Academy, and Cheverus High School.
Magnet Schools
Maine has a few special public schools called magnet schools. These schools focus on specific subjects. For example, The Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone focuses on science and math. Another special school is the Maine School of Performing Arts in Portland, which focuses on arts like music and theater.
Colleges and Universities
After high school, many students in Maine go on to colleges and universities. These include the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, and many private colleges. They offer many different programs for students to continue their education.
