Enrollment
565
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 231059000329
Gardiner Area High School — Gardiner, ME
Federal NCES profile for Gardiner Area High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 51
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 34
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 →
The verdict
Gardiner Area High School earns a D Resource Investment Index (46/100), with class sizes larger than 72% of Maine schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 46/100
- 12.2:1
- large classes for Maine
- 29.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 565
- students enrolled
School address
District: Rsu 11/Msad 11 · 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)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 11.3:1 Maine avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.0%
vs 34.0% Maine avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gardiner Area High 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
Gardiner Area High School reports 565 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 51.0 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: 29.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 15% below the Maine average and 44% below the national baseline. The school offers 6 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 283 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rsu 11/Msad 11 spends $16,146 per pupil district-wide, below the Maine average of $23,827 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.8% from local sources (property taxes), 52.0% from the state, and 13.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 Gardiner Area High 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 | 29.0% | ▼ 15% | 34.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 565 | top 90% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
12 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 76% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
565 larger than 69% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
29.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 15% 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
26.4%
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
$16,146
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 283 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 60 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 565 Top 90% in Maine — larger than 10% of 570 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 51.0
Students per teacher 12.2:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 29.0% -15% vs state
NCES ID 231059000329
Student demographics
White 92.7%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
African American 1.8%
Two or More 0.9%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 92.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 283:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.4%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 60
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rsu 11/Msad 11, which includes Gardiner Area High School.
$16,146
Per student
-32%
vs Maine
Avg $23,827
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.8%
State 52.0%
Federal 13.1%
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
- 425
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Enrollment
- 245
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 219
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 200
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Enrollment
- 192
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
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 Gardiner Area High School
How many students attend Gardiner Area High School?
Gardiner Area High School has 565 students enrolled. It is a high school in Gardiner, ME.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gardiner Area High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gardiner Area High 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 Gardiner Area High School?
29.0% of students at Gardiner Area High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maine average of 34.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gardiner Area High School?
The largest demographic group at Gardiner Area High School is White at 92.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Gardiner, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gardiner Area High School?
Gardiner Area High School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.