The city’s youngest students began their academic journeys at 8 elementary schools Wednesday, which also marked the start of a new early literacy-focused ed tech program in the district’s Title I schools.
Riley Board
Staff Writer
Riley covers education for the Press Herald. Before moving to Portland, she spent two years in Kenai, Alaska, reporting on local government, schools and natural resources for the public radio station KDLL as part of the Report for America program. Riley originally hails from Sarasota, Florida, and is a graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont, where she served as the editor-in-chief of the college’s student newspaper, The Campus. She has interned at the Burlington Free Press, and at the Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Magazine in Washington, D.C. Outside of work, Riley is passionate about roller skating, cooking and her cat, Edgar.
Posted inLocal & State, Politics, Schools and Education
Maine colleges mostly unaffected by decline in international students
The state has bucked a national trend that has seen a 30% drop in enrollment by foreign students in the wake of Trump administration immigration and education policies.
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Posted inLocal & State, Schools and Education
Enrollment up across Maine’s public university, community college systems
While the overall number of students has increased slightly, enrollment at individual schools varies. Some have seen major growth since last year, while others have declined.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Schools and Education
Portland considers new attendance boundaries for elementary and middle schools
They haven’t changed since the mid-2000s, but population shifts have occurred, resulting in an uneven balance of enrollment and demographics across Portland’s K-8 schools.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Schools and Education
What Portland families need to know about the new school year
The 2025-26 school year begins this week. Changes include 2 new school holidays and a cellphone ban.
Posted inLocal & State, News
SNAP cuts could impact Maine’s free lunch for students in the long term
School districts will continue to offer lunches at no cost, but changes in eligibility for food assistance could result in less federal funding in the future.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Schools and Education
Bowdoin among colleges sued for early decision admissions practices
The lawsuit filed in Massachusetts against 32 schools across the U.S. claims early admissions drive up education costs and prevent students from comparing financial aid offers.
Posted inLocal & State, Schools and Education
Anonymous $1M donation will support arts and music in Portland schools
The biggest one-time gift in the history of the Foundation for Portland Public Schools will be used in part for a new program to bring local arts organizations into classrooms.
Posted inLocal & State, Schools and Education
Maine’s school funding formula has long been called inequitable. Changing it is complicated.
In a July report, researchers outline issues with the formula’s reliance on property tax value, and possible solutions. Now lawmakers will be able to decide if they want to implement changes.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Schools and Education
Mom accuses Belgrade private school of assaulting, secluding child
A Chelsea mother has filed a lawsuit against the Belgrade-based Central Maine Learning Center, alleging school officials falsified documents to cover up her disabled son’s assault by a staff member.