James Otis Kaler Elementary School
Public elementary school, pre-kindergarten to grade 4 · South Portland, Maine
James Otis Kaler Elementary School in South Portland, Maine enrolled 179 students in 2024-25 with 22.2 full-time teachers, 8.1 students per teacher against the Maine elementary-school median of 10.6. It ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22; every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision (2024-25). On the state tests, 80-84% of its students tested were proficient in reading in 2021-22 and 50-59% proficient in math in 2022-23 (Maine: 84.1% and 48.8%).
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 · Title I status CCD 2021-22 · method
Enrollment fell 19% from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers rose 12%
220 students in 2022-23, 179 students in 2023-24, 179 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 19.9 to 22.2.
The numbers as a table
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 220 | 19.9 | 11.1 |
| 2023-24 | 179 | 21.2 | 8.4 |
| 2024-25 | 179 | 22.2 | 8.1 |
8.1 students per teacher, a lower ratio than 87 of every 100 Maine elementary schools
Among the 341 Maine elementary schools that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 10.6; the national median for elementary schools is 14.6. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; the comparison counts schools with a 2024-25 teacher count and a ratio from 3 to 99 (lower values are reporting errors).
One counselor per 238 students in 2021-22
In the 2021-22 civil rights collection James Otis Kaler Elementary School enrolled 238 students and had 1.0 counselor (full-time equivalent); it reported 1 out-of-school suspensions that year.
- Advanced Placement coursesNone
- Gifted and talented programNo
- Counselors (FTE)1.0, one per 238 of the 238 students enrolled in 2021-22
- Out-of-school suspensions1
- Chronically absent21.8% (2022-23)
Who attends
48.6% of students were White, 22.3% Black, 16.2% Hispanic in 2024-25.
- White48.6%
- Black22.3%
- Hispanic16.2%
- Two or more races6.7%
- Asian5.6%
- American Indian0.6%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22; chronic absenteeism from EDFacts 2022-23; every count and the counselor ratio are for that school year. Who attends: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, membership by race and ethnicity.
State test results, 2021-22 and 2022-23
The students tested at James Otis Kaler Elementary School scored proficient or above: 80-84% in reading in 2021-22 and 50-59% in math in 2022-23, against 84.1% in reading in 2021-22 and 48.8% in math in 2022-23 across Maine. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Maine, not across states. ED Data Express holds no district results after 2021-22, so the district column gives its 2021-22 figure.
| Subject and year | This school | Its district | Maine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts, 2021-22 | 80‑84% | 84% | 84.1% |
| Math, 2022-23 | 50‑59% | 77% (2021-22) | 48.8% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22 and 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express (2021-22 through the Data Rescue Project archive); for 2022-23 ED published math by school and reading only by state: ED shows school and district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Elementary schools in South Portland
6 public elementary schools in South Portland report 2024-25 enrollment; James Otis Kaler Elementary School is number 6 by size.
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel F. Mahoney Middle School | 424 | 11.6 | 22.9% |
| Waldo T Skillin Elementary School | 302 | 9.4 | 49.0% |
| Frank I Brown Elementary School | 213 | 10.4 | 26.8% |
| Dyer Elementary School | 194 | 9.6 | 18.0% |
| Dora L Small Elementary School | 193 | 9.4 | 25.4% |
| James Otis Kaler Elementary School | 179 | 8.1 | 52.0% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.
What to look at next about James Otis Kaler Elementary School
- Dyer Elementary SchoolThe nearest public elementary school, 0.6 miles away: 194 students, 9.6 per teacher (2024-25).0.6 mi
- Frank I Brown Elementary SchoolThe next nearest public elementary school, 1.1 miles away: 213 students, 10.4 per teacher (2024-25).1.1 mi
- Compare James Otis Kaler Elementary School with Dyer Elementary SchoolStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
- How much South Portland Public Schools spends per student$18,364 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$18,364
- The largest public schools in MaineJames Otis Kaler Elementary School is the number 201 by size of 346 Maine elementary schools open in 2024-25.#201 of 346
- Maine schools by students per teacher8.1 students per teacher here against the Maine median of 10.6 for elementary schools.8.1:1
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (locations, enrollment, teachers); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23. Distances are straight lines between the schools' NCES coordinates, not travel routes.
Questions about James Otis Kaler Elementary School
How many students attend James Otis Kaler Elementary School?
179 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 220 in 2022-23. It is an elementary school in South Portland, ME.What is the student-teacher ratio at James Otis Kaler Elementary School?
8.1 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the Maine median for elementary schools is 10.6. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.Is James Otis Kaler Elementary School a Title I school?
James Otis Kaler Elementary School ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, the last year NCES published school Title I status.How do students at James Otis Kaler Elementary School do on state tests?
The students tested at James Otis Kaler Elementary School scored proficient or above: 80-84% in reading in 2021-22 and 50-59% in math in 2022-23, against 84.1% in reading in 2021-22 and 48.8% in math in 2022-23 across Maine. Maine's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23; ED publishes school results as ranges to protect small groups.What district is James Otis Kaler Elementary School in?
South Portland Public Schools, NCES district ID 2312330. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 231233000716 are the district's.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23: reading and math proficiency for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: Civil Rights Data Collection School-level files (AP, gifted, counselors, discipline) · 2021-22
District spending on the district page is from the NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23.