Executive Summary

By Harris Van Pate

Maine charter schools are held to far higher standards by law than the state’s traditional public schools, despite often serving more disadvantaged students with fewer resources. While charter schools face the threat of closure for failing to meet certain benchmarks, noncharter public schools are rarely held accountable to the same degree. This report applies the Maine Charter School Commission’s accountability standards to the state’s noncharter public schools, revealing disparities in oversight, performance, and regulatory burden.

The data show that if noncharter public schools were evaluated using the same standards applied to charter schools, many would be at risk of closure. Approximately one-in-seven Maine schools would fail three or more standards—the same threshold used to shut down the Harpswell Coastal Academy charter school. This analysis underscores the necessity for a consistent and equitable regulatory framework, and it raises significant questions about the state’s artificial cap on the number of charter schools.

Key Findings
  • More than three in five (61.28%) noncharter public schools in Maine would fail at least one charter compliance standard; almost one in three (31.23%) would fail at least two; and 14% would fail at least three, putting them on the same level of failure as Harpswell Coastal Academy.
  • More than two-in-seven (29.29%) of noncharter high schools are in violation of the graduation rate standard set for charter schools.
  • Nearly 37% of noncharter schools are failing to meet the chronic absenteeism expectations imposed on charter schools.
  • Charter schools consistently outperform noncharter public schools in fiscal efficiency, producing better academic outcomes per dollar spent. The average Charter school spends approximately $14,000 total per pupil, while the average noncharter spends more than $24,800.
  • Maine charter schools serve disproportionately higher numbers of low-income students, yet meet or exceed expectations in English Language Arts and Science performance.
Policy Recommendations
  • Lift the Charter Cap: Remove the arbitrary limit on the number of charter schools.
  • Remove the Cap 0n Enrollment: Remove the ceiling on how many students can enroll in an individual charter school.
  • Equalize Standards: Hold all public schools to the same performance expectations. If noncharters aren’t held to a certain standard, then charter schools shouldn’t be either.
  • Reward Efficiency: Focus on outcomes per dollar spent. Schools that deliver better results for less should be incentivized with increased funding and greater curriculum flexibility.
  • Reform Oversight: Eliminate subjective and duplicative oversight standards that are only applied to charter schools. Use transparent, objective, growth-based measurements.
  • Improve Access: Expand transportation support to ensure low-income and rural students can attend charter schools.
  • Embrace Educational Pluralism: View charter schools as complementary to traditional schools, rather than as threats. Policy should prioritize student outcomes, not bureaucratic parity.
Conclusion

Charter schools in Maine are subject to scrutiny that noncharter public schools are not—and yet they frequently perform just as well or better, particularly when adjusted for funding and demographics. If the standards used to judge charter schools are valid, they should apply to all schools. If they are too onerous for noncharter schools, they are also too onerous for charters. The state must either level the playing field or acknowledge that its current system penalizes innovation and rewards failure.