The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has upheld a Superior Court ruling that Regional School Unit 21 must pay tuition for students from Arundel who choose to attend a private, middle school. RSU 21 includes Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel.
Arundel high school students can already attend the private, Thornton Academy, because their town has no high school. But for ten years, the former SAD 71 had a contract to allow Arundel middle schoolers to attend the Thornton Academy Middle School at district expense. With the expiration of that contract, the district wanted to end that practice. Thornton and several Arundel parents sued in 2016. Last October a Superior Court judge ruled in their favor.