Enrollment
565
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Gardiner, ME
Gardiner Area High School
Federal NCES profile for Gardiner Area High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 231059000329
👥 S:T ratio 56
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gardiner Area High School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maine median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Gardiner · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.1:1
- students per teacher
- 29.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Gardiner Area High School has class sizes near the Maine median. Computed live against every Maine school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gardiner Area High School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Gardiner, ME.
School address
District: Rsu 11/Msad 11 · Maine
NCES ID 231059000329 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.1:1
vs 11.1:1 Maine avg
+0% 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
What stands out at Gardiner Area High School
Gardiner Area High School is a large high school in Gardiner, Maine, enrolling 565 students.
At 11.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Maine median, within a few percentage points of the 11.1:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 29.0% lands close to the Maine typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Maine, bigger than 90% of state schools at 565 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 569 scored Maine schools.
Against 95 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #17.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 14/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 283 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Rsu 11/Msad 11 spends $15,413 per pupil, 23% below the Maine average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Rsu 11/Msad 11 also operates Gardiner Regional Middle School (425 students) and Helen Thompson School (245 students) alongside Gardiner Area High 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 Gardiner Area High School compares
Gardiner Area High 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 | 11.1:1 | ▼ 0% | 11.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.0% | ▼ 15% | 34.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 565 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.1:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
565
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
11.1:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 54% in Maine - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,413
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maine avg of $20,083
Somewhat 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 13.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.9, Gardiner Area High School is less mixed than the Maine school average of 20.6.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rsu 11/Msad 11, which includes Gardiner Area High School.
$15,413
Per student
-23%
vs Maine
Avg $20,083
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Gardiner Area High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardiner Regional Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Helen Thompson School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Laura E Richards School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pittston-Randolph Consolidated School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| River View Community School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gardiner Area High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 425
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 245
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 219
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 200
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 192
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar high 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 (~565 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gardiner Area High School's federal record.
- Compare Gardiner Area High School against another school. Compare schools
- Rsu 11/Msad 11'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 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 11.1:1, which is 0% higher than the Maine average of 11.1:1 and 29% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Gardiner, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gardiner Area High School?
Gardiner Area High School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Gardiner Area High School rank among public schools in Gardiner?
By Resource Investment Index, Gardiner Area High School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Gardiner, 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 Gardiner on the city page.
Is Gardiner Area High School a good school?
Gardiner Area High School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maine median. 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 11/Msad 11?
Besides Gardiner Area High School, Rsu 11/Msad 11 also operates Gardiner Regional Middle School (425 students), Helen Thompson School (245 students), and Laura E Richards School (219 students). See the Rsu 11/Msad 11 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.