Maine Ranks 12th Most Educated State, Showing Strong Year-Over-Year Growth

Take a bow, Maine! It seems we’re getting smarter around here.

At least that’s according to the latest education numbers from one website, which show some great improvement over the past year.

WalletHub.com, a personal finance website, recently published its annual report on the most and least educated states in the United States.

Maine came in with an overall ranking as the 12th most educated state. First off, that’s a great ranking. Second, it’s a solid improvement from last year, when the Pine Tree State was ranked 19th.

Maine Improves its Education Ranking in 2026

Maine’s overall score was 59.95. That score is based on a 100-point system and comes from two major categories: educational attainment and quality of education. Those categories were further broken down into 18 subcategories to make the analysis as detailed as possible. You can read more about the methodology here.

Maine’s highest ranking came in the educational attainment category, where it placed 12th—two spots higher than last year.

However, the state really shined in quality of education. Maine improved all the way to a 15th-place ranking, up from 37th last year. That jump significantly benefited the state and played a major role in this year’s results. It also helped Maine stay closer to its New England neighbors, which it had been trailing in recent years.

What is the Most Educated State in New England?

Here’s how the rest of New England fared:

1. Massachusetts - Always at the top it seems.
2. Vermont - A great score for the Green Mountain boys & girls
4. Connecticut - 1st in Pizza, 4th in Education. Very solid.
8. New Hampshire - Live Free or Die...and Educate
13. Rhode Island - Great Ranking and behind Maine

Just another impressive showing for New England. The entire region landing in the Top 13 really shows how much education matters here. It’s encouraging to see how strongly it’s prioritized at all levels.

READ MORE: Maine’s Top 5 Colleges Ranked for 2026: The Results Are In

Hopefully, Maine will continue to improve. Mainers need to be challenged to be the best they can be. A life filled with competition lies ahead, and they need to be as prepared as possible.