Maine has a long history of providing families with school choice options.  Since 1873, students from families in small towns that do not have a population to support a local public school have been awarded scholarships to attend public or private schools of choice. (According to the Institute for Justice, the program does not allow students to attend religious schools.)  The Friedman Foundation reported that 13,959 students participated in the tuitioning program in 2004-05. Of these, 6,052 attended private schools. The Education Commission of the States that Maine also has adopted voluntary interdistrict open enrollment.   But Maine is one of only ten states that has not yet passed a charter school law, according to the Center for Education Reform.                   

Recent Developments: No new developments.

Click here for detailed information on Maine's public school system and see below for school choice contacts in Maine.