Enrollment
394
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 230993000286
Gerald E Talbot Community School — Portland, ME
Federal NCES profile for Gerald E Talbot Community School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 59/100.
👥 Class size 67
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 41
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: Portland 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)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.3:1
vs 11.3:1 Maine avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.1%
vs 34.0% Maine avg
+59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gerald E Talbot Community 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
Gerald E Talbot Community School reports 394 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 44.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% 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 48% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 59% above the Maine average and 4% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Portland Public Schools spends $21,987 per pupil district-wide, below the Maine average of $23,827 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.1% from local sources (property taxes), 23.3% from the state, and 8.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (C), calculated from 3 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 Gerald E Talbot Community 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 | 8.3:1 | ▼ 27% | 11.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.1% | ▲ 59% | 34.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 394 | top 76% | — | — |
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
54.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 59% 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
8.3:1
students per teacher
— 27% below state mean
Top 11% in Maine — lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
23.6%
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
$21,987
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maine avg of $23,827
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 394 Top 76% in Maine — larger than 24% of 570 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 44.0
Students per teacher 8.3:1 -27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.1% +59% vs state
NCES ID 230993000286
Student demographics
African American 40.1%
White 38.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.1%
Two or More 7.4%
Asian 6.3%
Largest group: African American at 40.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.6%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Portland Public Schools, which includes Gerald E Talbot Community School.
$21,987
Per student
-8%
vs Maine
Avg $23,827
+13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 68.1%
State 23.3%
Federal 8.7%
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
- 912
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 850
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Enrollment
- 489
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 470
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Enrollment
- 470
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
Similar other schools in Portland
5 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Harrison Lyseth Elem School
Standard public school
489 students 12.1:1 students per teacher
Amanda C Rowe School
Standard public school
470 students 11.2:1 students per teacher
Howard C Reiche Community Sch
Standard public school
467 students 10.2:1 students per teacher
East End Community School
Standard public school
391 students 10.2:1 students per teacher
Presumpscot School
Standard public school
266 students 10.5:1 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 Gerald E Talbot Community School
How many students attend Gerald E Talbot Community School?
Gerald E Talbot Community School has 394 students enrolled. It is a other school in Portland, ME.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gerald E Talbot Community School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gerald E Talbot Community School is 8.3:1, which is 27% lower than the Maine average of 11.3:1 and 48% 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 Gerald E Talbot Community School?
54.1% of students at Gerald E Talbot Community School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maine average of 34.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gerald E Talbot Community School?
The largest demographic group at Gerald E Talbot Community School is African American at 40.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Portland, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gerald E Talbot Community School?
Gerald E Talbot Community School has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (C) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.