CARIBOU, Maine — Closures and tuition agreements have resulted in a significant increase in Caribou’s High School enrollment counts, which is 509 for the current year, or 86 higher than last year’s total of 423.
Caribou High School Principal Travis Barnes told RSU 39 Board members about the boost in numbers during a Sept. 6 school board meeting, adding that the average class size is now about 20 students.
Factors contributing to the increase include the closure of Limestone High School as well as the shuttering of Cornerstone Christian Academy in Presque Isle.
Out of 57 students at Limestone High School, five chose to attend Fort Fairfield High School while the remaining 52 are now enrolled in classes at Caribou.
Additionally, 34 students from nearby towns are paying tuition fees to attend “for a variety of different reasons,” according to Barnes.
Members of the RSU 39 school board, who represent Caribou, Limestone, and Stockholm, voted to discontinue grades nine through 12 at Limestone Community School earlier this year. School officials cited the need to meet future budgetary requirements, as well as the opportunity to offer Limestone students advanced placement courses, as some of the reasons behind the closure.
The Cornerstone Christian Academy announced their closure just days before classes were expected to start this year. Officials from that school cited declining enrollment as the primary reason behind closure, adding that tuition was a “primary source of funding’ for the school.
In addition, Barnes said that students from Washburn, Presque Isle, and Fort Fairfield are paying tuition and adding to the total population in Caribou.
Overall, however, schools within RSU 39 have been collectively losing roughly 50 students per year, with the 2009-10 total of 1,827 students in all RSU 39 schools shrinking to roughly 1,372 for the 2017-18 year. Smaller student numbers have a negative impact on the amount the state subsidizes education in school districts via the ED 279 funding formula. This formula looks at several factors in each community, including property valuations and student to teacher ratios.
Barnes, however, said that the recent increase in students at Caribou High School may result in more state subsidies for RSU 39 in the future.
“We’re hoping [it helps], he said. “Who knows how it will play out in the governor’s hands, but obviously student enrollment, when it’s on the uptick, is good for any district. Student numbers are really the basis for how you get your subsidies from the state.”
