Enrollment
194
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · South Portland, ME
Dyer Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Dyer Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 231233000578
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dyer Elementary School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Maine schools.
- #1 of 5
- elementary schools in South Portland · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.7:1
- small classes for Maine
- 10.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Dyer Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 74% of Maine schools. Computed live against every Maine school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dyer Elementary School ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in South Portland, ME.
School address
District: South Portland Public Schools · Maine
NCES ID 231233000578 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.7:1
vs 11.1:1 Maine avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.7%
vs 34.0% Maine avg
-69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dyer Elementary School compares with Maine and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dyer Elementary School
Dyer Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in South Portland, Maine, enrolling 194 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Maine schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 10.7% free-meal eligibility runs 69% below the Maine average.
With 194 students, its enrollment sits close to the Maine median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 569 scored Maine schools.
Against 63 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #15.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and African American (10%) (diversity index 40/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 194 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
13.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among South Portland's elementary schools, it stands alongside Daniel F. Mahoney Middle School (424 students): Dyer Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.7:1 vs 11.8:1).
South Portland Public Schools also operates South Portland High School (928 students) and Daniel F. Mahoney Middle School (424 students) alongside Dyer 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 Dyer Elementary School compares
Dyer 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 | 9.7:1 | ▼ 13% | 11.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.7% | ▼ 69% | 34.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 194 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.7:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
194
Bigger than 19% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
10.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 69% 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
9.7:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 26% in Maine - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
13.4%
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
$16,364
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maine avg of $20,083
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 194 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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 76.3%
African American 10.3%
Two or More 5.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Asian 2.6%
Largest group: White at 76.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.1, Dyer Elementary School is more mixed than the Maine school average of 20.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Portland Public Schools, which includes Dyer Elementary School.
$16,364
Per student
-19%
vs Maine
Avg $20,083
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 77.2%
State 20.6%
Federal 2.2%
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 Dyer Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Portland High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Daniel F. Mahoney Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Memorial Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Waldo T Skillin Elementary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Frank I Brown Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dyer Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 928
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 424
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 388
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 302
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 213
- Students per teacher
- 8.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar elementary schools in South Portland
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Daniel F. Mahoney Middle School
Standard public school
424 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
Waldo T Skillin Elementary School
Standard public school
302 students 10.4:1 students per teacher
Frank I Brown Elementary School
Standard public school
213 students 8.5:1 students per teacher
Dora L Small Elementary School
Standard public school
193 students 8:1 students per teacher
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 (~194 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dyer Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Dyer Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- South Portland Public Schools'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 Dyer Elementary School
How many students attend Dyer Elementary School?
Dyer Elementary School has 194 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in South Portland, ME.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dyer Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dyer Elementary School is 9.7:1, which is 13% lower than the Maine average of 11.1:1 and 38% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dyer Elementary School?
10.7% of students at Dyer Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maine average of 34.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dyer Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Dyer Elementary School is White at 76.3% of enrollment, in South Portland, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dyer Elementary School?
Dyer Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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 Dyer Elementary School rank among elementary schools in South Portland?
By Resource Investment Index, Dyer Elementary School ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in South Portland, ME. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in South Portland on the city page.
Is Dyer Elementary School a good school?
Dyer Elementary School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% 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 South Portland Public Schools?
Besides Dyer Elementary School, South Portland Public Schools also operates South Portland High School (928 students), Daniel F. Mahoney Middle School (424 students), and Memorial Middle School (388 students). See the South Portland Public Schools 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.