School Choice

School Choice and Homeschool in Maine

Private school choice programs, charter schools, homeschool rules and private schools in Maine. Facts as of November 2026.

Choice programs1All limited by eligibility
Charter schoolsAllowedPublic charter law
Homeschool noticeYesTesting: Yes

Private school choice programs

How they work ›

Town Tuitioning (tuition for students in towns without a public school)

Voucher Limited Enacted 1873 (year not confirmed)

Students in school administrative units that do not operate or contract for their own school may attend a public or state-approved private school of the parent's choice, with the unit paying tuition up to the state rate.

20-A M.R.S. 5203 (elementary) and 5204 (secondary); paid by the local school unit rather than as a statewide voucher, and not available to students in towns that run their own schools.

Official source

Charter schools

Maine has a public charter school law.

Official source

Homeschool rules

Parents file a notice of intent with the local superintendent and the Department of Education within 10 days of starting home instruction, then a continuation letter by September 1 each year. Each year the child must have an approved assessment (standardized or local test, certified-teacher review, support-group portfolio review or local advisory board review). Check your state's law before you start.

Notice: Yes Testing: Yes

Law: 20-A M.R.S. § 5001-A(3)(A)(4). Official source

Private schools in Maine

The private school list will appear here after the first scheduled update.

From the blog

The Heckler's Veto on Campus and What the First Amendment Says About ItWhen a crowd shouts down a speaker or a college cancels an event over threatened disruption, the mob wins a veto the First Amendment does not allow.A Thought Experiment on Grocery Stores Assigned by ZIP CodeA labelled satire: assign each family one grocery store by address and call complaints an attack on public food, then see what that says about assigned schools.Your First Year of Homeschooling, a Practical Playbook for ParentsA step-by-step plan for the first year: find your state's legal category, withdraw properly, pick a curriculum, keep records, test and plan for transcripts.Microschools Are the One-Room Schoolhouse Reborn, With Modern RulesSmall multi-age schools taught most Americans for generations. Microschools revive the model, and zoning, fire codes and licensing are the obstacles.

Sources: 20-A M.R.S. 5203, Elementary school tuition, Maine Public Law 2011, chapter 414 (Public Charter School Program), 20-A M.R.S. 5001-A, School attendance, NCES Private School Universe Survey. State facts as of November 2026. Check your state's law before you start.