Maine Arts Academy

"A well spread out campus. The teachers are open to dialogue and focus on topic and current affairs that effect everyone. The students really seem to enjoy their independence and campus academics. The staff here are friendly and open to suggestions of both parent and student and they will help answer any questions or concerns you or your child may have. If your child or children are into the art's and have expressed interest in the MEAA, I would highly recommend applying here. Good news, everyone!! Maine Arts Academy has a new campus in Augusta at the former Maine Veteran's hospital on the Cony road."

"Great school with lots of talented students."

"This school is young & it shows. There is an absolute inconsideration for parents' time. For parent/teacher conferences, you're given a list of your child's classes & where to find their teachers & are then expected to wait in first-come-first-serve lines while other parents meet w/ teachers in open space w/ no privacy. Even w/ missing out on seeing 2 of his teachers I was there for well over 2.5 hours, time mostly spent waiting & overhearing other conferences. Also, almost all info at open house was inaccurate & they didn't alert parents until 1.5 weeks before 1st day: this included a schedule change that shortened the day by over 1.5 hours & transportation changes that required parents to drive students upwards of 25-30 minutes away from their homes in some cases to grab the bus. This school is also quite inept at working w/ students w/ different abilities & particularly those who live w/ mental illness. They treat 504 meetings as disciplinary meetings meant to shame students into compliance rather than discussing how the school will rise to the occasion of making accommodations, saying ableist things in the mtg like, "we aren't going to give you special treatment...you're old enough to not behave that way, etc." And despite their policy stating they use restorative justice before being punitive, it's untrue. They use suspension like they're doling out candy. My child has problems w/ anxiety & on 2 separate occasions he holed himself up in the restroom instead of going to class because of acute anxiety attacks & both times was suspended for an entire day for it. They denied him access to his education for an entire day both times for missing out on single period classes, one of which was a study hall & did this despite being told he was suffering from the anxiety they were aware of. They're also completely unresponsive & victim-blaming to students who voice safety concerns about other students. My child was suspended for "bullying" because he reported a child for joking about shooting up the school & their rationale for this was based on the fact that other students didn't corroborate his account. So, as long as other students didn't witness it, they found that to be grounds for suspension. They chose to create such a sense of intimidation for those who report they punished him for it. The school was also alerted (by students other than my child) about assaults on campus & when they didn't take action the way many students thought they should, my son joined others in protesting their inaction by writing messages on their hands asking for justice for the victim & though the target was the school for their inaction, they suspended my son, citing bullying of the accused. Lastly, parents should know when they suspended him for this, they refused to let him call me for over 2.5 hours despite repeated requests by him to do so because of a severe anxiety attack. He also suffers from restless leg syndrome when anxious & when he explained this to the superintendent so he could stand instead of sit, she got in his face & yelled that he was a liar & threatened to call the police if he didn't sit. This threat was made simply for the sake of compliance & intimidation & at no point was he reported to be behaving in a threatening manner. When it was brought to her attention that her behavior was unacceptable, she apologized for yelling in his face & calling him a liar, but said it wasn't bullying on her behalf. The fact is, this school is probably great for students who don't have special needs, but they're incredibly discriminatory for those who struggle in ways that pose any type of challenge for them. Instead of offering learning opportunities to students who don't conform, they immediately resort to punitive discipline, often disproportionate & if you try to appeal it, the people who decide the appeal are the same as those who made the initial decision. It's really sad & frankly, until they get some sensitivity training & better supports for kids with disabilities I would not recommend this school to anyone."

"Its amazing and its absolutely inspiring to watch my peers preform with you."