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Calais, Maine - 2 schools
An equity score of 68/100 ranks Calais Public Schools #29 of 131 districts in Maine (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,829 per pupil, Calais Public Schools ranks #126 of 203 Maine districts by per-pupil spending (Maine districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
580
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$16,829
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Calais Public Schools operates 2 public schools serving 580 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Maine. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Washington County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,829 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 203 Maine districts by per-pupil spending. See how Maine compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 27.6% local, 53.8% state, and 18.5% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 68/100, ranked #29 of 131 in Maine against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 2 schools offering Advanced Placement (1 AP courses district-wide), a 289:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 54.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 81.3% White, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.6% African American across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Calais Middle/High School, enrolling 289 students (54% of the district's total enrollment).
Calais Middle/High School accounts for 49.8% of all Calais Public Schools student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Calais Public Schools a distant remainder — means Calais Public Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Calais Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 289:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Calais Public Schools is typically wider than the Calais Public Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Calais Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 54.8% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Calais Public Schools has 2 schools, including 2 combined. Total enrollment is 580 students.
How much does Calais Public Schools spend per student?
Calais Public Schools spends $16,829 per student. The district has an equity score of 68/100, ranking #29 in Maine.
What is the demographic composition of Calais Public Schools?
Calais Public Schools students are 81.3% White, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.6% African American, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Calais Public Schools?
Calais Public Schools has an equity score of 68/100, ranking #29 out of 131 districts in Maine.