Enrollment
695
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Oakland, ME
Messalonskee High School
Federal NCES profile for Messalonskee High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 231477900705
👥 S:T ratio 46
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Messalonskee High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Maine schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Oakland · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.6:1
- large classes for Maine
- 21.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Messalonskee High School has class sizes larger than 89% of Maine schools. Computed live against every Maine school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Messalonskee High School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Oakland, ME.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 11.1:1 Maine avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.1%
vs 34.0% Maine avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Messalonskee High School compares with Maine and U.S. medians
What stands out at Messalonskee High School
Messalonskee High School is a large high school in Oakland, Maine, enrolling 695 students.
Class loads run heavy: 13.6:1 is larger than about 89% of Maine schools and 23% above the 11.1:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 21.1% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Maine, bigger than 94% of state schools at 695 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 569 scored Maine schools.
Against 73 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #50.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 12 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 232 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Rsu 18 spends $14,717 per pupil, 27% below the Maine average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Rsu 18 also operates Messalonskee Middle School (495 students) and James H Bean School (300 students) alongside Messalonskee 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 Messalonskee High School compares
Messalonskee 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 | 13.6:1 | ▲ 23% | 11.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.1% | ▼ 38% | 34.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 695 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
695
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 23% above state mean
Top 89% in Maine - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
46.6%
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
$14,717
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 232 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 61 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 91.8%
Two or More 3.6%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
African American 0.7%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 91.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.5, Messalonskee High School is less mixed than the Maine school average of 20.6.
Programs
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rsu 18, which includes Messalonskee High School.
$14,717
Per student
-27%
vs Maine
Avg $20,083
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.9%
State 37.4%
Federal 11.7%
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.
How Messalonskee High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Messalonskee Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| James H Bean School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| China Primary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Belgrade Central School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Williams Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Messalonskee High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 495
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 300
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 242
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 236
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 222
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
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 (~695 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Messalonskee High School's federal record.
- Compare Messalonskee High School against another school. Compare schools
- Rsu 18'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 Messalonskee High School
How many students attend Messalonskee High School?
Messalonskee High School has 695 students enrolled. It is a high school in Oakland, ME.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Messalonskee High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Messalonskee High School is 13.6:1, which is 23% higher than the Maine average of 11.1:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Messalonskee High School?
21.1% of students at Messalonskee High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maine average of 34.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Messalonskee High School?
The largest demographic group at Messalonskee High School is White at 91.8% of enrollment, in Oakland, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Messalonskee High School?
Messalonskee High School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Messalonskee High School rank among public schools in Oakland?
By Resource Investment Index, Messalonskee High School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Oakland, 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 Oakland on the city page.
Is Messalonskee High School a good school?
Messalonskee High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Maine schools. 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 18?
Besides Messalonskee High School, Rsu 18 also operates Messalonskee Middle School (495 students), James H Bean School (300 students), and China Primary School (242 students). See the Rsu 18 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.