Enrollment
288
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 230282000049
Downeast School — Bangor, ME
Federal NCES profile for Downeast School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 30
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
District: Bangor Public Schools · Maine
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)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.5:1
vs 11.3:1 Maine avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
83.3%
vs 34.0% Maine avg
+145% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Downeast 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
Downeast School reports 288 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 28.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Maine state mean of 11.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 34% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 83.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 145% above the Maine average and 61% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 262 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bangor Public Schools spends $16,978 per pupil district-wide, below the Maine average of $23,827 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 45.4% from local sources (property taxes), 44.5% from the state, and 10.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), 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 Downeast 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 | 10.5:1 | ▼ 7% | 11.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.3% | ▲ 145% | 34.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 288 | top 58% | — | — |
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
83.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 145% 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
10.5:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 38% in Maine — lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
28.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,978
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
Counselors1.1 FTE
Per 262 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 288 Top 58% in Maine — larger than 42% of 570 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 28.0
Students per teacher 10.5:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 83.3% +145% vs state
NCES ID 230282000049
Student demographics
White 79.5%
Hispanic or Latino 9.7%
African American 6.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.4%
Asian 1.4%
Largest group: White at 79.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.1
Students per counselor 262:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.1%
In-school suspensions 13
Out-of-school suspensions 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bangor Public Schools, which includes Downeast School.
$16,978
Per student
-29%
vs Maine
Avg $23,827
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 45.4%
State 44.5%
Federal 10.1%
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
- 1,068
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 372
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 346
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 310
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 266
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
Similar other schools in Bangor
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Fruit Street School
Standard public school
310 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Vine Street School
Standard public school
190 students 11.1:1 students per teacher
Abraham Lincoln School
Standard public school
184 students 10.5:1 students per teacher
Fourteenth Street School
Standard public school
153 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
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 Downeast School
How many students attend Downeast School?
Downeast School has 288 students enrolled. It is a other school in Bangor, ME.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Downeast School?
The student-teacher ratio at Downeast School is 10.5:1, which is 7% lower than the Maine average of 11.3:1 and 34% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Downeast School?
83.3% of students at Downeast School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maine average of 34.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Downeast School?
The largest demographic group at Downeast School is White at 79.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bangor, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Downeast School?
Downeast School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) 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.