Enrollment
368
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 231116000035
Houlton Southside School — Houlton, ME
Federal NCES profile for Houlton Southside School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 62
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 29/Msad 29 · 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.2:1
vs 11.3:1 Maine avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.1%
vs 34.0% Maine avg
+68% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Houlton Southside 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
Houlton Southside School reports 368 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 17% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 57.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 68% above the Maine average and 10% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 15.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rsu 29/Msad 29 spends $15,474 per pupil district-wide, below the Maine average of $23,827 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 17.1% from local sources (property taxes), 60.6% from the state, and 22.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (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 Houlton Southside 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 | 13.2:1 | ▲ 17% | 11.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.1% | ▲ 68% | 34.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 368 | top 72% | — | — |
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
57.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 68% 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
13.2:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 83% in Maine — lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
15.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,474
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
Enrollment 368 Top 72% in Maine — larger than 28% of 570 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 13.2:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 57.1% +68% vs state
NCES ID 231116000035
Student demographics
White 83.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 10.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.2%
Two or More 2.2%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.8%
Hispanic or Latino 0.3%
Largest group: White at 83.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 15.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rsu 29/Msad 29, which includes Houlton Southside School.
$15,474
Per student
-35%
vs Maine
Avg $23,827
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 17.1%
State 60.6%
Federal 22.3%
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
- 378
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 282
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 186
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
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 Houlton Southside School
How many students attend Houlton Southside School?
Houlton Southside School has 368 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Houlton, ME.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Houlton Southside School?
The student-teacher ratio at Houlton Southside School is 13.2:1, which is 17% higher than the Maine average of 11.3:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Houlton Southside School?
57.1% of students at Houlton Southside School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maine average of 34.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Houlton Southside School?
The largest demographic group at Houlton Southside School is White at 83.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Houlton, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Houlton Southside School?
Houlton Southside School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (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.