The number of homeschooled students in Washington County schools has been doubling and tripling in some towns in recent years, a trend that's in line with an overall statewide increase. While the number of homeschooled students skyrocketed during the pandemic, not all of those students have returned to public schools.
      One of the communities with the largest increase in homeschooled students has been Calais, which saw the number triple from nine students in the school year ending in 2020 to 27 in 2024, according to data from the Maine Department of Education. Even with the increase, that's a small portion of the student population for the city, which recorded 411 students in 2024.
      The pandemic was a driving factor in prompting parents to start homeschooling, comments Calais Superintendent Mary Anne Spearin. Statewide, the figure doubled from 6,783 students in 2020 to 12,051 the following year, though it has since decreased to 10,636.
      "In addition, I get the sense that some parents just want to have the additional time with their children and the ability to adjust student learning in a way that meets their family's needs at the time," Spearin adds.
      It's a sentiment echoed by Sherri Oliver of Baring, who homeschooled five children with her husband Bobby. "There are many educational options for our children, and we need to find the right fit for our families." Her oldest started out in public school, which she says "was the right choice for our family at the time," but one of her children had ADHD and wasn't able to adjust in public school. The Olivers made the decision to homeschool, and while initially overwhelming and "a lot of work" in general, "the reward is worth the effort." Their child with ADHD could sit on an exercise ball while working and take laps around the house between subjects. Beyond that, as a Christian family, the Olivers value being able to work Christian beliefs into their teachings.
      To meet the growing demand for alternative options to public schools, the St. Croix Christian Academy (SCCA) opened as a homeschool co op in Calais last year. Its enrollment grew by six this year, putting it up to 19 students from around Washington County and a few from Charlotte County. The SCCA offers students in grades 6 through 12 the opportunity to enroll in a host of classes between the subjects of math, science, English and history, along with customized electives such as American Sign Language. "For some parents, homeschooling becomes challenging in upper grades," says SCCA organizer Justin Harvey, adding that some parents aren't comfortable teaching particular topics such as geometry, algebra or technical or business writing.
      The SCCA can even accommodate students mid year if they are struggling, Harvey says, adding, "Our enrollment is never really closed."
      In addition to the homeschool co op and other long standing homeschooling families in the area, homeschooling parents have many resources to draw from. By law, public schools are required to provide access to school activities, classes, equipment and extracurricular activities to homeschooling families, meaning students can enroll in individual subjects, sign up for sports or borrow microscopes if they need to.
      "Calais has historically and will continue to provide opportunities for homeschooled children," Spearin says. "We have had several students in the past participate in an art or music classes, programming through our technical school and our sports programs."

Impact on school budgets
      The effect of homeschooling students on a school's budget and a town's costs depends on the type of subsidy receiver they are, according to AOS 96 Superintendent Scott Porter. For schools that are minimum subsidy receivers -- such as Machiasport, among others -- the impact is less. Schools that are higher receivers -- such as Machias, East Machias and Jonesboro -- feel the impact to their budget more.
      Asked if homeschooled students save towns money, Porter replies, "You would think so, but it's complicated." Schools receive money from the state in the form of an Essential Programs and Services allocation. "A large component of that is the number of students. If you have fewer students, that number becomes smaller," Porter says. Towns are required to make up the difference between what the state provides and the cost of running the school.
      Schools are able to count the participation of homeschooled students in their activities and classes, with homeschooled students counted on a scale between 0.25 and 1.0 based on how much of the school day they are enrolled.
      As far as the number of homeschooled students in AOS 96, "It goes up and down, it seems like," Porter says. Machias saw a small jump from 10 to 13 between 2020 and 2024, while Machiasport went from seven to 17, East Machias went from five to 16, Whiting went from seven to 15 and Jonesboro increased from six to 12 during the same timeframe.
      Schools in AOS 77 saw some increases, including Eastport, which went from five to 10 students, and Alexander, which went from 11 to 15. For the most part, however, the smaller district has been less affected, Superintendent MaryEllen Day notes.