Portland, Maine weighs consolidating to two middle schools by 2027–28 amid enrollment decline and costs

A proposal headed to the full school board would direct planning for a two-campus middle school system

Portland Public Schools is weighing whether to reduce its middle school footprint from three campuses to two, a change officials say would respond to sustained enrollment declines and widening cost differences among the city’s middle schools.

The idea advanced this week from the school board’s Curriculum and Student Success Committee, which heard a presentation outlining trends in enrollment, building use and per-student spending across Lincoln Middle School, Lyman Moore Middle School and King Middle School. The proposal is scheduled for a first reading by the full Board of Public Education on March 10, 2026.

What the data show

District figures presented to board members indicate that middle school enrollment has generally declined over the last decade, with the sharpest drop occurring since the 2021–22 school year. In the 2025–26 school year, the three middle schools enroll a combined 1,272 students, representing a 10.9% decrease since 2021–22.

Enrollment has fallen unevenly across campuses. Since 2021–22, Lincoln Middle School’s enrollment is down 23%, while Lyman Moore is down 5.8% and King is down 4.6%.

• Building utilization rates are below full capacity at all three schools, with King using the highest share of capacity at 67.2%.

• Lincoln and Lyman Moore are each under 59% of capacity.

• Average class sizes remain below the district’s class size cap of 25 students, with the largest average reported at 19.3 students for sixth grade at Lyman Moore.

Cost pressures and student needs

The presentation also highlighted differences in average annual cost per student. Lincoln had the highest reported per-student cost at $19,828, compared with $17,446 at King and $15,759 at Lyman Moore.

In the same period of declining enrollment, the district reported growth in multilingual students of 7.4%, though only King Middle School saw an increase in multilingual enrollment.

Under the draft resolution, the superintendent would be directed to develop a plan to operate only two middle schools by the 2027–28 school year.

What happens next

The measure under discussion is not a final closure decision. It would initiate district-level planning and further board deliberation around consolidation, including how staffing, programming and student services might be redistributed if the system shifts to two campuses.

If the board advances the resolution beyond the first reading, subsequent steps would be expected to include additional public discussion and development of an operational plan before any long-term reconfiguration takes effect. The earliest timeline outlined in the proposal points to changes no later than the 2027–28 school year.