Enrollment
98
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 231125000431
Hichborn Middle School — Howland, ME
Federal NCES profile for Hichborn Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 72
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 8
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: Rsu 31/Msad 31 · 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)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7:1
vs 11.3:1 Maine avg
-38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.0%
vs 34.0% Maine avg
+29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hichborn Middle 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
Hichborn Middle School reports 98 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 13.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 38% 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 56% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 44.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 29% above the Maine average and 15% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 196 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rsu 31/Msad 31 spends $20,573 per pupil district-wide, below the Maine average of $23,827 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 48.9% from local sources (property taxes), 32.7% from the state, and 18.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), 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 Hichborn Middle 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 | 7:1 | ▼ 38% | 11.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.0% | ▲ 29% | 34.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 98 | top 16% | — | — |
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
44.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 29% 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
7:1
students per teacher
— 38% below state mean
Top 5% in Maine — lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
36.7%
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
$20,573
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 196 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 98 Top 16% in Maine — larger than 84% of 570 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 13.0
Students per teacher 7:1 -38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 44.0% +29% vs state
NCES ID 231125000431
Student demographics
White 96.9%
Hispanic or Latino 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Two or More 1.0%
Largest group: White at 96.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 196:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.7%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rsu 31/Msad 31, which includes Hichborn Middle School.
$20,573
Per student
-14%
vs Maine
Avg $23,827
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 48.9%
State 32.7%
Federal 18.3%
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
- 210
- Students per teacher
- 9.1:1
- Enrollment
- 127
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
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 Hichborn Middle School
How many students attend Hichborn Middle School?
Hichborn Middle School has 98 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Howland, ME.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hichborn Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Hichborn Middle School is 7:1, which is 38% lower than the Maine average of 11.3:1 and 56% 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 Hichborn Middle School?
44.0% of students at Hichborn Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maine average of 34.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hichborn Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Hichborn Middle School is White at 96.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Howland, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hichborn Middle School?
Hichborn Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) 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.