South Maine News

York County schools welcomed 25,578 students in the 2023-24 school year, 0.6% less than the previous year, according to the Maine Department of Education.

York County had the second most enrollment numbers in the state.

According to the data, 51.3% of the students enrolled in the 2023-24 school year were boys, and 48.7% were girls, and less than 0.1% did not specify their gender or identify with either category.

Most of the students enrolled in the 2023-24 school year were white, representing 86.5% of the York County student body.

Within the county, Thornton Academy had the highest enrollment in the school year, welcoming 1,452 students.

While Maine's public school enrollment has slightly rebounded from the sharp drop during the 2020-21 school year, it remains about 4% below pre-pandemic levels. The decline is partly due to an increase in homeschooling and more students completing high school early through college courses and adult education.

"Adult education enrollment is up, providing high school completion and job training programs to meet individual needs," said a spokesman for the Maine Department of Education in an interview with Maine Public. Additionally, some 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."

As of 2024, the average student-to-teacher ratio in public schools in Maine is 11:1, much lower than the national average of one teacher for every 15 students.

School Name	Total Enrollment in 2022-23	Total Enrollment in 2023-24	% Change
Acton Elementary School	240	246	2.5%
Alfred Elementary School	204	190	-6.9%
Biddeford High School	707	894	26.4%
Biddeford Intermediate School	354	342	-3.4%
Biddeford Middle School	640	499	-22%
Biddeford Primary School	354	368	4%
Bonny Eagle Middle School	725	705	-2.8%
Buxton Center Elementary School	552	555	0.5%
C. K. Burns School	593	607	2.4%
Carl J. Lamb School	420	420	0%
Central School	375	382	1.9%
Coastal Ridge Elementary School	349	332	-4.9%
Dayton Consolidated School	117	130	11.1%
Eliot Elementary School	294	296	0.7%
Eric L. Knowlton School	238	225	-5.5%
Governor John Fairfield School	306	288	-5.9%
H. B. Emery Jr. Memorial School	211	206	-2.4%
Hanson School	263	256	-2.7%
Hollis School	292	280	-4.1%
Horace Mitchell Primary School	314	254	-19.1%
Jameson Elementary School	182	185	1.6%
John F. Kennedy Memorial School	270	300	11.1%
Kennebunk Elementary School	366	403	10.1%
Kennebunk High School	746	694	-7%
Kennebunkport Consolidated School	179	193	7.8%
Lebanon Elementary School	152	148	-2.6%
Line Elementary School	298	274	-8.1%
Loranger Memorial School	289	263	-9%
Lyman Elementary School	232	242	4.3%
Margaret Chase Smith	432	436	0.9%
Marshwood Great Works School	295	297	0.7%
Marshwood High School	671	656	-2.2%
Marshwood Middle School	465	464	-0.2%
Massabesic High School	887	846	-4.6%
Massabesic Middle School	609	617	1.3%
Middle School of the Kennebunks	479	477	-0.4%
Mildred L. Day School	208	211	1.4%
Noble High School	1,168	1,147	-1.8%
Noble Middle School	422	432	2.4%
North Berwick Elementary School	258	253	-1.9%
Old Orchard Beach High School	200	203	1.5%
Robert W. Traip Academy	271	282	4.1%
Saco Middle School	581	588	1.2%
Saco Pre-K	115	119	3.5%
Sanford High School	1,042	1,063	2%
Sanford Middle School	935	901	-3.6%
Sanford Pride Elementary School	363	373	2.8%
Sea Road School	321	294	-8.4%
Shapleigh Memorial School	152	158	3.9%
Shapleigh School	372	375	0.8%
Village Elementary School-York	205	183	-10.7%
Vivian E. Hussey School	363	352	-3%
Waterboro Elementary School	513	544	6%
Wells Elementary School	559	555	-0.7%
Wells High School	410	398	-2.9%
Wells Junior High School	435	441	1.4%
York High School	500	497	-0.6%
York Middle School	462	476	3%
Young School	295	311	5.4%
Thornton Academy	1,485	1,452	-2.2%