FACT CHECK: Did Maine High Schools Fall to 'Dead Last'? The Campaign Claim Is Misleading

The claim and the verdict

VERDICT — MISLEADING. A Republican advertisement supporting Senator Susan Collins says Maine's high schools dropped to “dead last” under Democratic challenger Troy Jackson. Maine did finish last in the cited U.S. News state ranking, but the ad leaves out a major methodological reason.

FactCheck.org reported that Maine had not allowed Advanced Placement data to be supplied for the ranking. U.S. News bases the state table on the proportion of schools reaching the top quarter of its national list, and missing AP or International Baccalaureate data makes that threshold much harder to reach.

Read the source: FactCheck.org: Review of the Collins campaign's Maine education claim ↗

The ranking did not measure every outcome directly

For the 2025-26 edition, Maine was the only state that withheld the relevant AP data and finished 51st, with four schools in the top quarter. In the next edition, Vermont, Colorado and New York also withheld data and fell near the bottom after previously ranking much higher.

That pattern shows the table is sensitive to data availability. It does not prove Maine's performance is strong; it means the last-place label cannot be read as a clean, comprehensive exam comparing every high school on identical information.

Read the source: Maine Department of Education: Official NAEP dashboard ↗

Other evidence shows real problems without proving the ad

The National Assessment of Educational Progress offers a separate, government-run measure. Maine's 2024 fourth- and eighth-grade math and reading scores were among its weakest in roughly two decades, according to the review. Those results are legitimate warning signs.

Maine nevertheless was not last in the nation on the cited NAEP measures. An honest assessment can say student outcomes deserve concern while rejecting a campaign shortcut that converts one private ranking, affected by missing data, into a universal verdict.

Read the source: National Center for Education Statistics: Nation's Report Card ↗

How the evidence should be interpreted

A defensible fact check begins by identifying the exact assertion being evaluated. Questions about a Susan Collins campaign advertisement saying Maine high schools dropped to dead last under Troy Jackson's leadership cannot be answered responsibly by substituting a broader political opinion, relying on a screenshot without context or treating an early procedural development as though it resolved every remaining legal or factual dispute.

Official materials deserve particular attention, but even primary documents have limits: they establish what an agency announced, what a court ordered or what rules currently say, not whether every public interpretation is correct. Where accounts conflict, the relevant date, issuing authority and legal effect matter more than the confidence of the person repeating the claim.

The stakes for Maine voters, students, families and educators interpreting political claims about school performance are practical as well as informational. A misleading claim can cause unnecessary panic, discourage lawful participation or create the mistaken impression that rights and obligations changed immediately when, in reality, an appeal, injunction, eligibility rule or unpaid balance still controls the outcome.

Read the source: Wikimedia Commons: Classroom library photograph ↗

Political responsibility is also more complicated

Jackson served in state Senate leadership during parts of the period used in the ad, but governors, education agencies, local districts, federal policy, economic conditions and the pandemic also shaped schools. A state legislator's record can be evaluated without attributing every statewide result to one person.

Campaigns should identify the metric, edition, methodology and policy connection when claiming a school system moved from first to last. Without those details, the phrase functions as a dramatic attack rather than a reliable explanation of what Maine students know.

The strongest available account comes from FactCheck.org's methodology review, U.S. News' explanation and official NAEP data from the Maine Department of Education, which provides the clearest basis for checking the underlying facts against claims circulating elsewhere. Independent reporting and official guidance serve different purposes: one can document a developing dispute, while the other helps establish the governing requirements, current procedures and questions that still need an answer.

There are important limits to what can be established now. Maine did place last in the cited U.S. News state table, but the ranking was heavily affected by unavailable Advanced Placement data and does not make one politician solely responsible for all student outcomes. Treating an unresolved question as settled would give readers a certainty the available evidence does not support. New statements, updated documents or additional reporting could clarify the situation, but none should be presumed before they appear.

The next meaningful development to watch is future rankings with complete data, updated NAEP results and candidate explanations of measurable education policy. Until then, people directly affected should rely on the institution responsible for the decision or service, check the dates attached to public guidance and be cautious about summaries that omit the legal, financial or local context.

Another useful distinction is the difference between an announcement and an outcome. Reporting on a Susan Collins campaign advertisement saying Maine high schools dropped to dead last under Troy Jackson's leadership can establish what has been proposed, ordered, alleged or scheduled, but subsequent implementation may depend on separate decisions by FactCheck.org's methodology review, U.S. News' explanation and official NAEP data from the Maine Department of Education. That is why readers should check whether an update describes a completed action, an ongoing process or a statement of intent.

People following this issue should also consider whom the information is meant to help. For Maine voters, students, families and educators interpreting political claims about school performance, a clear explanation of dates, limitations and responsible institutions is more valuable than dramatic language unsupported by records. Responsible coverage should make those boundaries visible instead of presenting assumptions, online speculation or preliminary numbers as established conclusions.

The featured photograph is an authentic, credited documentary image selected for its relevance to the subject. It should be understood as visual context, not evidence that the photographer witnessed the specific announcement, court proceeding, community event or interaction described in this article unless the accompanying caption explicitly says so.