143,230 white students enrolled in Maine schools in 2024-25

Maine schools enrolled 143,230 white students in the 2024-25 school year, 1.8% fewer than the previous year, according to the Maine Department of Education.

Data showed that Maine schools enrolled 169,479 students during the 2024-25 school year. White students made up 84.5% of the student body, the largest ethnic group in the state.

In addition to white students, Black or African American students continued to make up the second largest share of the student population at 5.5% countywide. Other represented groups included multiracial students at 3.8%, Hispanic students at 3.8%, Asian students at 1.4%, American Indian or Alaskan Native students at 0.8%, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students at just 0.1%.

Among the 16 Maine counties, Cumberland County registered the highest enrollment of white students in the 2024-25 school year, with 28,760 students enrolled.

Public school enrollment in Maine fell to its lowest level in a decade in the 2024-25 school year, dropping below even the sharp decline seen after the COVID-19 pandemic. The state reported approximately 171,000 students enrolled that year.

Recent data from Maine’s public schools for the 2025-26 school year reveal an increase in Hispanic, Black and multiracial enrollment over the past decade. While nearly 85% of students are white, this indicates a gradual increase in diversity across the state schools.

As of 2025, the average student-to-teacher ratio in public schools in Maine is 11-to-1, much lower than the national average of 15-to-1. A lower student-to-teacher ratio has been found to improve students’ school performance.