South Maine News

There were 447 Asian students enrolled in York County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 17.3% more than the previous year, according to the Maine Department of Education.

Data showed that Asian students made up 1.7% of the 25,735 students in York County schools at the time. They were the third least represented ethnicity.

Among the 60 schools in the county, Thornton Academy recorded the highest enrollment of Asian students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 115 students.

Recent data from Maine's public schools for the 2023-2024 school year reveal a noticeable growth in Hispanic, Black and multiracial enrollment over the past decade. While over 85% of students still identify as white, this shows a slow but steady increase in diversity within the state schools.

Despite these shifts, Maine's public school enrollment remains about 4% below pre-pandemic levels, despite a slight rebound from the sharp drop during the 2020-21 school year. The decline is partly due to an increase in homeschooling and more students completing high school early through college courses and adult education.

A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Education also mentioned in an interview with Maine Public some other pandemic-related factors persist, with "some parents choosing not to enroll younger children in school and older students who took on jobs to support their families during the pandemic and who are still counted on to provide that support."

School Name	Asian Students Enrollment	Total Enrollment	% of Total Enrollment
Thornton Academy	115	1,485	7.7%
Noble High School	12	1,168	1%
Sanford High School	17	1,042	1.6%
Sanford Middle School	16	935	1.7%
Massabesic High School	5	887	0.6%
Kennebunk High School	17	746	2.3%
Bonny Eagle Middle School	3	725	0.4%
Biddeford High School	16	707	2.3%
Marshwood High School	13	671	1.9%
Biddeford Middle School	13	640	2%
Massabesic Middle School	4	609	0.7%
C. K. Burns School	8	593	1.3%
Saco Middle School	20	581	3.4%
Wells Elementary School	11	559	2%
Buxton Center Elementary School	3	552	0.5%
Waterboro Elementary School	3	513	0.6%
York High School	6	500	1.2%
Middle School of the Kennebunks	7	479	1.5%
Marshwood Middle School	5	465	1.1%
York Middle School	4	462	0.9%
Wells Junior High School	7	435	1.6%
Margaret Chase Smith	5	432	1.2%
Noble Middle School	3	422	0.7%
Carl J. Lamb School	2	420	0.5%
Wells High School	10	410	2.4%
Central School	1	375	0.3%
Shapleigh School	11	372	3%
Kennebunk Elementary School	2	366	0.5%
Sanford Pride Elementary School	6	363	1.7%
Vivian E. Hussey School	5	363	1.4%
Biddeford Intermediate School	6	354	1.7%
Biddeford Primary School	13	354	3.7%
Coastal Ridge Elementary School	3	349	0.9%
Sea Road School	6	321	1.9%
Horace Mitchell Primary School	3	314	1%
Governor John Fairfield School	5	306	1.6%
Line Elementary School	1	298	0.3%
Marshwood Great Works School	2	295	0.7%
Young School	2	295	0.7%
Eliot Elementary School	3	294	1%
Hollis School	0	292	--
Loranger Memorial School	8	289	2.8%
Robert W. Traip Academy	6	271	2.2%
John F. Kennedy Memorial School	7	270	2.6%
Hanson School	1	263	0.4%
North Berwick Elementary School	3	258	1.2%
Acton Elementary School	1	240	0.4%
Eric L. Knowlton School	2	238	0.8%
Lyman Elementary School	4	232	1.7%
H. B. Emery Jr. Memorial School	0	211	--
Mildred L. Day School	1	208	0.5%
Village Elementary School-York	3	205	1.5%
Alfred Elementary School	2	204	1%
Old Orchard Beach High School	2	200	1%
Jameson Elementary School	5	182	2.7%
Kennebunkport Consolidated School	3	179	1.7%
Lebanon Elementary School	0	152	--
Shapleigh Memorial School	2	152	1.3%
Dayton Consolidated School	0	117	--
Saco Pre-K	3	115	2.6%