Enrollment
122
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Searsmont, ME
Ames Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Ames Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 231482200450
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ames Elementary School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Maine schools.
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.6:1
- large classes for Maine
- 42.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 122
- students enrolled
Ames Elementary School has class sizes larger than 89% of Maine schools. Computed live against every Maine school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 11.1:1 Maine avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.9%
vs 34.0% Maine avg
+26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ames Elementary School compares with Maine and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ames Elementary School
Ames Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Searsmont, Maine, enrolling 122 students.
Class loads run heavy: 13.6:1 is larger than about 89% of Maine schools and 23% above the 11.1:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 42.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 122 puts it in the smaller third of Maine schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 569 scored Maine schools.
Against 73 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #9.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment) (diversity index 11/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Rsu 71 also operates Belfast Area High School (476 students) and Troy a Howard Middle School (330 students) alongside Ames Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ames Elementary School compares
Ames Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Maine and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maine | Maine avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.6:1 | ▲ 23% | 11.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.9% | ▲ 26% | 34.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 122 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
122
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 26% above the Maine average of 34.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 23% above state mean
Top 89% in Maine - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
18.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$20,461
per pupil, district-wide
- above Maine avg of $20,083
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 94.3%
Hispanic or Latino 4.1%
Asian 0.8%
Two or More 0.8%
Largest group: White at 94.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.9, Ames Elementary School is less mixed than the Maine school average of 20.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rsu 71, which includes Ames Elementary School.
$20,461
Per student
+2%
vs Maine
Avg $20,083
+23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.8%
State 42.6%
Federal 2.6%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Ames Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast Area High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Troy a Howard Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Captain Albert W. Stevens School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| East Belfast School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gladys Weymouth Elem School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ames Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 476
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 330
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 232
- Students per teacher
- 8.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 99
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 79
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maine, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~122 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ames Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Ames Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Rsu 71's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Ames Elementary School
How many students attend Ames Elementary School?
Ames Elementary School has 122 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Searsmont, ME.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ames Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ames Elementary School is 13.6:1, which is 23% higher than the Maine average of 11.1:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ames Elementary School?
42.9% of students at Ames Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maine average of 34.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ames Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Ames Elementary School is White at 94.3% of enrollment, in Searsmont, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ames Elementary School?
Ames Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Ames Elementary School a good school?
Ames Elementary School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Maine schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Rsu 71?
Besides Ames Elementary School, Rsu 71 also operates Belfast Area High School (476 students), Troy a Howard Middle School (330 students), and Captain Albert W. Stevens School (232 students). See the Rsu 71 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.