Enrollment
402
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · South Berwick, ME
Central School
Federal NCES profile for Central School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 231137000451
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of Maine schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in South Berwick · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.9:1
- large classes for Maine
- 11.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Central School has class sizes larger than 91% of Maine schools. Computed live against every Maine school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in South Berwick, ME.
School address
District: Rsu 35/Msad 35 · Maine
NCES ID 231137000451 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 11.1:1 Maine avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.0%
vs 34.0% Maine avg
-68% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central School compares with Maine and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central School
Central School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in South Berwick, Maine, enrolling 402 students.
Class loads run heavy: 13.9:1 is larger than about 91% of Maine schools and 25% above the 11.1:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 11.0% free-meal eligibility runs 68% below the Maine average.
Enrollment of 402 puts it in the larger third of Maine schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 569 scored Maine schools.
Among 82 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Maine schools statewide, it ranks #66, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 17/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 402 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
13.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Rsu 35/Msad 35 also operates Marshwood High School (659 students) and Marshwood Middle School (490 students) alongside Central 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 Central School compares
Central 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 | 13.9:1 | ▲ 25% | 11.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.0% | ▼ 68% | 34.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 402 | top 23% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
402
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 68% below the Maine average of 34.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 25% above state mean
Top 91% in Maine - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
13.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$17,761
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maine avg of $20,083
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 402 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 91.0%
Two or More 5.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.5%
African American 0.2%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 91.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.8, Central School is less mixed than the Maine school average of 20.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rsu 35/Msad 35, which includes Central School.
$17,761
Per student
-12%
vs Maine
Avg $20,083
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 53.2%
State 38.0%
Federal 8.8%
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.
How Central School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshwood High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Marshwood Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Marshwood Great Works School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Eliot Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 659
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 287
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 282
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar other 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 (~402 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central School's federal record.
- Compare Central School against another school. Compare schools
- Rsu 35/Msad 35'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 Central School
How many students attend Central School?
Central School has 402 students enrolled. It is a public school in South Berwick, ME.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central School is 13.9:1, which is 25% higher than the Maine average of 11.1:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central School?
11.0% of students at Central School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maine average of 34.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central School?
The largest demographic group at Central School is White at 91.0% of enrollment, in South Berwick, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central School?
Central School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Central School rank among public schools in South Berwick?
By Resource Investment Index, Central School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in South Berwick, ME. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in South Berwick on the city page.
Is Central School a good school?
Central School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% 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 35/Msad 35?
Besides Central School, Rsu 35/Msad 35 also operates Marshwood High School (659 students), Marshwood Middle School (490 students), and Marshwood Great Works School (287 students). See the Rsu 35/Msad 35 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.