Airline Community School

Airline Community School, a U.S. local government entity and school district located in Aurora, Maine, receives federal grants directly as a prime recipient from the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and acts as a sub-recipient on grants flowing from the Maine Department of Education for child nutrition, special education, academic achievement support, and well-rounded education programs. The school operates exclusively in the grant space; it holds no federal contracts or positions on contract vehicles and does not function as a federal contractor.

Airline Community School's federal footprint centers on three grantor agencies. The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service accounts for 36 awards (55% of the total), funding school lunch and nutrition service delivery. The Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education accounts for 25 awards (38%), and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services accounts for 4 awards (6%). All 100% coverage across these three agencies reflects the school's exclusive focus on K-12 education and nutrition support.

As a prime grant recipient, Airline Community School receives formula grants from the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education under the Small, Rural School Achievement Program. The school has received five consecutive annual awards under this program, with the most recent award dated July 1, 2026, carrying an ultimate completion date of September 30, 2027. The prior four awards span July 2025 through July 2022, each following the same fiscal-year cadence. As a sub-recipient, Airline Community School receives pass-through funding from the Maine Department of Education across multiple federal grant programs: the National School Lunch Program (which accounts for the majority of sub-awards), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B and Part C grants for special education services to children birth through age 20 and preschool-age children, Title I grants for academic achievement improvement in high-poverty schools, and the Strengthening Academic Programs and Services grant for well-rounded education access. Sub-award activity has been steady, with 48 sub-awards distributed across the 2023-to-2026 period, with the highest volume in 2024 (28 awards) and sustained activity through 2026 (3 awards year-to-date as of August 31, 2026).

The school's combined federal obligations across all prime and sub awards total $429 thousand, with relatively modest year-to-year obligated amounts reflecting the pass-through structure of small-rural and child-nutrition formula grants. Award velocity increased sharply from one award in 2022 to 12 in 2023 and peaked at 28 in 2024, then moderated to 9 in 2025, consistent with the pattern of successive annual Small, Rural School Achievement Program awards and recurring National School Lunch Program sub-awards from Maine. One award reaches ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, creating minimal near-term recompete exposure.