New national data ranks Maine low in childhood education

LEWISTON – New national data shows Maine childhood education continueso decline, with one education expert being particularly concerned with reading proficiency in Maine’s kids.

“I think there’s no denying those numbers are concerning,” said Mara Tieken, associate professor of education at Bates College.

The data comes from the 2025 Kids Count Data Book, released on June 9 by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The book, which assesses children nationwide in a number of categories including health, economic well-being and education, ranked Maine highly in several areas such as economic well-being and health. The data also ranked Maine 6th in the nation when it comes to strength of family and community.

But regarding education, Maine fared poorly. The data ranked Maine 41st in the nation overall. Among the notable academic data, 74% of fourth graders in Maine were described as “below proficient” in reading in 2024. In the same year, the data found 75% of 8th graders were considered “below proficient” in math.

The data shows a decline in recent years in many figures related to Maine education, with a significant drop in 2022. 

Tieken said the report’s data comes in part from the National Assessment for Educational Progress, an annual assessment that has been conducted nationwide since the 1960s. Tieken noted that the NAEP assessment is only a “snapshot,” but statewide assessment methods have changed several times in recent years, making it hard to locally track trends.

Even assuming the national data only tells part of the story, Tieken said it’s worth paying attention. She said she expected scores to be higher in 2024. 

“Like many places they declined in 2022 after the pandemic,” she said. “That’s not super-surprising, but where some states have seen a rebound in 2024, Maine didn’t and the scores just kind of stayed the same or actually went down a little bit in the case of reading so those numbers, I think, are concerning.”

As to why the decline is happening, Tieken said it’s hard to say. One of the bigger factors is a lack of funding for teachers. With an aging population statewide overall, she said, it’s even harder for school districts to justify funding.

Income gaps, Tieken added, don’t help. The national data did not break down by community, but she said rural or poorer communities historically struggle to maintain high scores.

Mara Tieken, an associate professor of education at Bates College, said she found new national data on Maine childhood education “concerning.” (Spectrum News/Sean Murphy)

“Maine, like many places, is struggling with a teacher shortage, and that’s even more pronounced in many rural areas, and so, teacher quality really matters.”

Another data point that caught Tieken’s eye was 60% of children ages 3 and 4 in Maine not being in school for the period 2019-2023. She said this refers to children not being enrolled in preschool or kindergarten.

“It can indicate a child-care desert,” she said.

Granted, Tieken said some parents simply don’t want to enroll their children in school at that age, but very often this can also mean school is not available, or too expensive.

Maine, Tieken said, does not have a universal Pre-K program, like other states do, leaving parents to find private care for early childhood schooling. Once again, she added, the pandemic may have been a factor in the data.

“Many childcare facilities shut down during the pandemic and I’m guessing not all of them reopened, and that could be a part of this as well,” she said.

Overall, Tieken said arranging for high-impact tutoring could improve performance, but the best way to bring the numbers up is to increase quality of teaching, with more funding for teachers.