Enrollment
272
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 231477500438
Bruce M Whittier Middle School — Poland, ME
Federal NCES profile for Bruce M Whittier Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 67/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 84
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 11.3:1 Maine avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.1%
vs 34.0% Maine avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bruce M Whittier Middle School compares with Maine and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Bruce M Whittier Middle School reports 272 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% above the Maine state mean of 11.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 23% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 28.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 17% below the Maine average and 46% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 181 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 6.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rsu 16 spends $16,739 per pupil district-wide, below the Maine average of $23,827 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.7% from local sources (property taxes), 48.5% from the state, and 12.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 67/100 (B-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bruce M Whittier Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Maine state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Maine | Maine avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.2:1 | ▲ 8% | 11.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.1% | ▼ 17% | 34.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 272 | top 56% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
28.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 17% below the Maine average of 34.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.2:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 72% in Maine — lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
6.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$16,739
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maine avg of $23,827
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 181 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 272 Top 56% in Maine — larger than 44% of 570 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 12.2:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 28.1% -17% vs state
NCES ID 231477500438
Student demographics
White 94.1%
Hispanic or Latino 3.3%
Two or More 1.8%
African American 0.4%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 94.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.5
Students per counselor 181:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 6.6%
In-school suspensions 17
Out-of-school suspensions 19
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rsu 16, which includes Bruce M Whittier Middle School.
$16,739
Per student
-30%
vs Maine
Avg $23,827
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.7%
State 48.5%
Federal 12.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 506
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Enrollment
- 423
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Enrollment
- 241
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Enrollment
- 229
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Bruce M Whittier Middle School
How many students attend Bruce M Whittier Middle School?
Bruce M Whittier Middle School has 272 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Poland, ME.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bruce M Whittier Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bruce M Whittier Middle School is 12.2:1, which is 8% higher than the Maine average of 11.3:1 and 23% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bruce M Whittier Middle School?
28.1% of students at Bruce M Whittier Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maine average of 34.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bruce M Whittier Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Bruce M Whittier Middle School is White at 94.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Poland, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bruce M Whittier Middle School?
Bruce M Whittier Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 67/100 (B-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.