Why Does This Tiny Maine Town Have the State’s Best School?

Like any state, Maine has some really great and not-so-great schools.  That is not meant to be an attack against any of our educators.  We believe that the majority of our educators all care deeply about their students.  However, there are lots of factors that make some of our schools better than others.

Recently, 24/7 Wall Street put out their list of the best school districts in each state.

For Maine, they selected the schools in the tiny Maine town of Athens.

Why Athens?

According to the article, they looked at several factors.  These factors included the student-to-teacher ration, graduation rate, student proficiency in core subjects, and amount of money the schools spent on each student.

They found that the student-to-teacher ration in Athens was 11:1.  Students in Athens scored a 95% in reading and a 92% in math.  The average amount spent on each of the 120 students in Athens was just over $19,000 per year.

After checking out some of the other districts on the list, it looks like there are several reasons why Athens made the list.  First, the amount of money spent on each student is higher than a lot of the other schools on the list.  Second, the student-to-teacher ratio means the kids are getting a lot of attention from the teachers.  Finally, based on average scores, it is clear that the school gets results.

It is important to note that technically, Athens is not its own school district.  Athens is part of the AOS 94 district, which includes schools from Dexter, Harmony, and Athens.

The Best School Districts in New Hampshire and Massachusetts

For New Hampshire, 24/7 Wall Street listed SAU 70, which includes the Hanover area.

The best district in Massachusetts was the Hopkinton Public Schools district.