Report finds that Maine has seen the biggest decline in child well

Report finds that Maine has seen the biggest decline in child well-being in the country since 2019

Maine Public |
By
Madi Smith
Published July 12, 2026 at 8:22 AM EDT

The latest Kids Count Report finds that Maine has seen the biggest decline in child well-being in the country since 2019

The annual Kids Count Data Book attributes its findings to a decline in child health outcomes and test scores

The report ranks Maine in the bottom ten states for educational achievement, citing the fact that 75% of students failed to reach proficiency in the latest national exams, as well as the high number of high school students who did not graduate on time

Maine also ranks low in health indicators due to a comparatively high child obesity rate and declining access to healthcare in rural areas

Maine did improve its overall score due to its low teen birth rate and relatively small number of children in poverty

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