Maine Highlands News

Piscataquis County schools welcomed 2,277 students in the 2022-23 school year, 2.1% more than the previous year, according to the Maine Department of Education.

Piscataquis County had the least enrollment numbers in the state.

According to the data, 50.5% of the students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year were girls, and 49.5% were boys.

Most of the students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year were white, representing 94.5% of the Piscataquis County student body.

Within the county, Se Do Mo Cha Elementary School had the highest enrollment in the school year, welcoming 366 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 2021-22	Total Enrollment in 2022-23	% Change
Brownville Elementary School	77	89	15.6%
Greenville Consolidated School	183	183	0%
Milo Elementary School	153	154	0.7%
Penquis Valley Middle/High School	368	357	-3%
Piscataquis Community Elementary School	252	266	5.6%
Piscataquis Community Secondary School	243	228	-6.2%
Se Do Mo Cha Elementary School	336	366	8.9%
Se Do Mo Cha Middle School	298	291	-2.3%
Foxcroft Academy	320	343	7.2%