Calais Public Schools

The Calais Public Schools district in Maine consists of two schools: Calais Middle/High School and Calais Elementary School. While the middle/high school has maintained a consistent performance, the elementary school has seen a significant decline in its state-wide ranking, dropping from 43rd out of 210 Maine elementary schools in 2021-2022 to 160th out of 290 in 2022-2023.

Both schools in the Calais Public Schools district have consistently been rated 1 or 2 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger, indicating they are among the lower-performing schools in Maine. The district faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, particularly at the elementary school level, where 30.8% of students are chronically absent. Additionally, there is a notable disparity in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, with Calais Elementary School having a significantly higher rate of 55.91% compared to 34.46% at the middle/high school.

While the middle/high school has a 4-year graduation rate of 87.5%, which is a positive metric, the overall performance of the Calais Public Schools district suggests that there is room for improvement. Addressing the declining performance at the elementary school, high chronic absenteeism, and economic disparities between the two schools should be a priority for the district to ensure all students have access to a high-quality education.