Maine Lakes News

There were 3,923 white students enrolled in Franklin County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 1.4% more than the previous year, according to the Maine Department of Education.

Data showed that white students made up 93.9% of the 4,180 students in Franklin County schools at the time. They were the most represented ethnicity.

Among the 16 schools in the county, Mt. Blue High School recorded the highest enrollment of white students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 642 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	White Students Enrollment	Total Enrollment	% of Total Enrollment
Mt. Blue High School	642	694	92.5%
Mt. Blue Middle School	471	492	95.7%
Spruce Mountain High School	369	391	94.4%
Spruce Mountain Middle School	345	364	94.8%
W. G. Mallett School	313	337	92.9%
Spruce Mountain Elementary School	278	296	93.9%
Cascade Brook School	264	276	95.7%
Mt. Abram Regional High School	191	207	92.3%
Rangeley Lakes Regional School	173	185	93.5%
Cape Cod Hill Elementary School	163	173	94.2%
Academy Hill School	158	166	95.2%
Day Mountain Regional Middle School	135	152	88.8%
Phillips Elementary School	121	129	93.8%
Gerald D. Cushing School	111	119	93.3%
Stratton Elementary School	100	105	95.2%
Kingfield Elementary School	89	94	94.7%