schoolsbycounty

State district guide

Maine public school districts

Compare district systems across Maine by enrollment scale, school count, county context, generated guide coverage, and the parent checks that matter before choosing where to live.

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Direct answer for parents

What this district ranking can and cannot tell you

If you are searching for the best school districts in Maine, start with the largest and most data-rich district systems below, then verify the specific school assigned to each address. SchoolsByCounty orders districts by reported enrollment and school count because those fields are consistent in NCES. It does not convert district size into a quality rating.

Start with scale

Portland Public Schools

6,475 reported students

Check county context

Knox County

78/100 county score

Verify locally

Address fit

Attendance boundaries and transfers are not in NCES

District table

Largest public school districts in Maine

The first 60 rows show the largest district systems by reported enrollment. Open district guides where available, or use the county profile when a detailed district page is not generated yet.

214 districts in state file

Maine public school districts ranked by reported enrollment.
RankDistrictStudents
1
Portland Public Schools

LEA ID 2309930

Cumberland County17 schools
6,475
2
Lewiston Public Schools

LEA ID 2307320

Androscoggin County8 schools
5,083
3
Bangor Public Schools

LEA ID 2302820

Penobscot County10 schools
3,454
4
RSU 06/MSAD 06

LEA ID 2311790

Cumberland County8 schools
3,283
5
RSU 17/MSAD 17

LEA ID 2310770

Oxford County10 schools
3,223
6
Auburn Public Schools

LEA ID 2302610

Androscoggin County8 schools
3,219
7
Sanford Public Schools

LEA ID 2310500

York County6 schools
3,214
8
RSU 14

LEA ID 2314793

Cumberland County6 schools
3,143
9
South Portland Public Schools

LEA ID 2312330

Cumberland County8 schools
3,081
10
RSU 57/MSAD 57

LEA ID 2314670

York County7 schools
2,924
11
RSU 60/MSAD 60

LEA ID 2314700

York County7 schools
2,909
12
Scarborough Public Schools

LEA ID 2310530

Cumberland County6 schools
2,891
13
Gorham Public Schools

LEA ID 2306060

Cumberland County5 schools
2,737
14
RSU 18

LEA ID 2314779

Kennebec County8 schools
2,599
15
RSU 75/MSAD 75

LEA ID 2314768

Sagadahoc County7 schools
2,380
16
Brunswick Public Schools

LEA ID 2303780

Cumberland County4 schools
2,363
17
Westbrook Public Schools

LEA ID 2313560

Cumberland County6 schools
2,335
18
Biddeford Public Schools

LEA ID 2303150

York County6 schools
2,314
19
RSU 21

LEA ID 2314773

York County6 schools
2,301
20
RSU 22

LEA ID 2314815

Waldo County7 schools
2,278
21
RSU 09

LEA ID 2314809

Franklin County8 schools
2,266
22
RSU 54/MSAD 54

LEA ID 2314590

Somerset County8 schools
2,229
23
Augusta Public Schools

LEA ID 2302640

Kennebec County7 schools
2,213
24
RSU 51/MSAD 51

LEA ID 2314240

Cumberland County4 schools
2,153
25
RSU 35/MSAD 35

LEA ID 2311370

York County5 schools
2,134
26
RSU 05

LEA ID 2314789

Androscoggin County6 schools
2,069
27
RSU 52/MSAD 52

LEA ID 2314160

Androscoggin County6 schools
1,994
28
Falmouth Public Schools

LEA ID 2305670

Cumberland County3 schools
1,989
29
RSU 11/MSAD 11

LEA ID 2310590

Kennebec County6 schools
1,949
30
RSU 19

LEA ID 2314785

Penobscot County5 schools
1,931
31
RSU 02

LEA ID 2314776

Lincoln County8 schools
1,898
32
Saco Public Schools

LEA ID 2310380

York County5 schools
1,897
33
RSU 49/MSAD 49

LEA ID 2314330

Kennebec County6 schools
1,895
34
RSU 15/MSAD 15

LEA ID 2310710

Cumberland County5 schools
1,835
35
RSU 40/MSAD 40

LEA ID 2311550

Knox County7 schools
1,800
36
RSU 10

LEA ID 2314795

Oxford County6 schools
1,777
37
RSU 01 - LKRSU

LEA ID 2314772

Sagadahoc County7 schools
1,761
38
RSU 16

LEA ID 2314775

Androscoggin County5 schools
1,720
39
RSU 79/MSAD 01

LEA ID 2310860

Aroostook County6 schools
1,715
40
Yarmouth Schools

LEA ID 2314100

Cumberland County4 schools
1,679
41
RSU 61/MSAD 61

LEA ID 2314210

Cumberland County6 schools
1,670
42
Waterville Public Schools

LEA ID 2313350

Kennebec County5 schools
1,651
43
Brewer Public Schools

LEA ID 2303510

Penobscot County2 schools
1,604
44
RSU 13

LEA ID 2314787

Knox County6 schools
1,538
45
York Public Schools

LEA ID 2314130

York County4 schools
1,537
46
Cape Elizabeth Public Schools

LEA ID 2303930

Cumberland County3 schools
1,509
47
RSU 71

LEA ID 2314822

Waldo County7 schools
1,451
48
RSU 73

LEA ID 2314805

Franklin County4 schools
1,437
49
RSU 34

LEA ID 2314782

Penobscot County5 schools
1,425
50
Wells-Ogunquit CSD

LEA ID 2313490

York County3 schools
1,407
51
Hermon Public Schools

LEA ID 2306510

Penobscot County3 schools
1,397
52
Ellsworth Public Schools

LEA ID 2305500

Hancock County3 schools
1,328
53
Lisbon Public Schools

LEA ID 2307530

Androscoggin County3 schools
1,311
54
RSU 04

LEA ID 2314783

Androscoggin County5 schools
1,300
55
RSU 29/MSAD 29

LEA ID 2311160

Aroostook County4 schools
1,267
56
RSU 39

LEA ID 2314794

Aroostook County3 schools
1,220
57
RSU 38

LEA ID 2314788

Kennebec County6 schools
1,207
58
RSU 25

LEA ID 2314796

Hancock County4 schools
1,073
59
RSU 03/MSAD 03

LEA ID 2311520

Waldo County8 schools
1,070
60
Winslow Schools

LEA ID 2313860

Kennebec County3 schools
1,069

— = enrollment not reported in the district record. District rows are informational and must be paired with local assignment tools before a housing decision.

Methodology

How to use district rankings without overreading them

District-level data is useful because it shows the operating system around a public school search: how many schools exist, which county record anchors the district, how much enrollment is reported, and whether a detailed district guide is available. It is not enough to decide where a student should enroll.

Ranking basis

Rows are ordered by reported enrollment, then school count. The method favors broad, data-rich systems because those are the districts parents most often need to research before relocation.

County context

Each district is attached to a primary county record when available. County school scores are context signals, not district ratings, and nearby counties can still matter for commute and housing decisions.

Grade pathway

Elementary, middle, and high school counts help parents spot whether a district looks like a full K-12 pathway or a narrower operating unit. Feeder patterns still require local verification.

Address verification

The final decision happens at the address level. Confirm attendance zones, open-enrollment rules, magnet admissions, charter lotteries, and transfer windows with official district sources.

County context

Districts anchored in higher-scoring county contexts

These rows pair district records with the county-level SchoolsByCounty score. Treat this as a shortlist for deeper research, not a district quality ranking.

RSU 40/MSAD 40

Knox County

78

Students
1,800
Schools
7

78

Students
1,538
Schools
6

RSU 28/MSAD 28

Knox County

78

Students
738
Schools
2

Five Town CSD

Knox County

78

Students
719
Schools
1

St George Public Schools

Knox County

78

Students
209
Schools
1

RSU 08/MSAD 08

Knox County

78

Students
157
Schools
1

Parent checklist before relying on a district ranking

Use this page to narrow the field, then answer these local questions before treating any district as a fit for a specific home.

Which school does this address actually feed into?

Use the district address lookup and confirm edge cases near attendance-zone borders.

What happens at transition grades?

A strong elementary fit can split into several middle or high school paths.

Are choice programs realistic for this student?

Magnet, charter, virtual, and transfer options can involve lotteries, applications, or deadlines.

Is the county context aligned with housing tradeoffs?

Pair school research with taxes, commute, home prices, and safety before choosing where to live.

Frequently Asked Questions About Maine School Districts

What are the best school districts in Maine?
Portland Public Schools, Lewiston Public Schools, Bangor Public Schools are the largest Maine district systems by reported enrollment in the NCES file. SchoolsByCounty does not call them the best districts; use this page to find data-rich district systems, then verify assigned schools, program rules, and local fit.
How are Maine districts ranked here?
Districts are ordered by reported student enrollment, then school count, using NCES public school district records. This is a research-priority ranking, not a quality rating.
Why do only 3 Maine districts have district guide links?
SchoolsByCounty statically generates detailed district guides for the largest district systems nationally so the pages stay fast and substantive. Districts without guide links remain represented through county and state context pages.
Do these district pages show attendance boundaries?
No. Attendance zones, transfer rules, magnet eligibility, charter admission, transportation, and program availability must be verified with official district or local assignment tools before choosing a home.
Does a large district mean better schools?
No. Larger districts usually have more school options and more public data, but enrollment size is not a school-quality measure. Compare school-level records and official local sources before treating a district as a fit.
How many districts are included for Maine?
This page includes 214 Maine public school districts from the current NCES district file, alongside county context and generated district-guide availability where available.
By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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