Aroostook County schools’ student body comprised mostly of white students in 2023-24 school year

The majority of students in Aroostook County schools were white in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Maine Department of Education.

Of the 8,496 students attending school Aroostook County schools, 88.9% were white.

American Indian or Alaskan Native students were the second largest ethnic group among Aroostook County students (4%).

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Aroostook County, representing 88.9% of the student body.

Houlton Elementary School had the evenest distribution of races among county schools, with 80.3% white, 11.7% American Indian or Alaskan Native, 4.1% multiracial, 2.1% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Black, 0.7% Asian, and 0.3% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

In the 2023-24 school year, public school enrollment in the county dropped 1% when compared to the previous year.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Aroostook County.

As of 2025, the average student-to-teacher ratio in public schools in Maine is 11:1, much lower than the national average of one teacher for every 15 students. A lower student-to-teacher ratio has been found to improve students’ school performance.

Public school enrollment in Maine fell to its lowest level in a decade in the 2024-25 school year, dropping below even the sharp decline seen after the COVID-19 pandemic. The state reported approximately 171,000 students enrolled that year.