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Educate Maine Executive Director Jason Judd
February 18, 2022
Maine college enrollment fell in 2020 because of COVID, report says
College enrollment rates in Maine declined in 2020 because of the pandemic while college completion rates held steady compared to the previous year, according to a report released Thursday by Educate Maine.
The group's annual "Education Indicators" barometer, adjusted this year to reflect the impact from COVID-19, measures access, participation and performance of Maine students from early learning through secondary, postsecondary and adult education.
This year's version focused less on test scores, and added measures of student well-being, access and participation in opportunities beyond two- and four-year colleges, such as career and technical pathways and adult education.
“The pandemic has shined a light on what educators have known for a long time: there are many important factors that influence student success, such as mental health, nutrition, and high-speed internet access,” said Educate Maine Executive Director Jason Judd, a former teacher, college and career counselor, director of career studies and academic dean of Maine Central Institute.
"This year’s Education Indicators report helps us better understand the ‘whole student,'" he added. "The report also calls attention to important indicators related to the health of Maine’s early education and child care system, how Maine is serving different groups of students, and to additional higher learning pathways.
"Altogether, the data provide a more holistic look at the full education pipeline and the complex needs of all Maine learners within it to help guide where Maine may need to make additional investments."
The report released Thursday found that Maine's college enrollment rate declined from 60% in 2019 to 55% in 2020 as a result of the pandemic while the completion rate remained little changed at 64%, with most students able to finish out the school year in spring 2020.
Researchers also found that while the Maine high school graduation rate has been steady at 87% over the past five years, only 79% of economically disadvantaged students graduate from high school on-time — compared with 95% of their higher-income peers.
On Friday, Judd explained to Mainebiz that while the annual indicators report does not include any policy recommendations, Educate Maine uses the data to reinforce its policy platform, shared in briefs published throughout the year.
Educate Maine's platform includes calling for increasing wages for early childhood educators, investing in the Maine State Grant Program and supporting student debt programs, Judd noted.
The full report is available here.
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