Maine has placed an order with Apple for 64,000 MacBooks, with another order for 7,000 coming in the next few weeks. The huge order of MacBooks is an expansion of the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, a program the state start with Apple in 2002. Originally, the program was aimed at middle schools, but it has become so successful, the program has been expanded to include high school students.

“We have seen incredible success with our middle schools showing increased student engagement and achievement with MLTI in place and we want to bring this same opportunity to our high schools,” said Maine Education Commissioner Sue Gendron. “This is not just about technology–it’s about using the technology to support education.”

With the new order, Maine will provide MacBooks for students and faculty in grades 7 through 12. Maine says it is the only state with a statewide implementation of notebooks for every student.

Apple will include educational software, professional development, repair and replacement and technical support, as part of the deal.

Jeff Mao, director of learning technology for the Maine Department of Education, said that about 2,000 high school students in the state attended schools with laptops this year. Next year that number will rise to between 22,000 and 28,000.