Enrollment
586
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 231038000308
Saco Middle School — Saco, ME
Federal NCES profile for Saco Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 63/100.
👥 Class size 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 61
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: Saco 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)
56.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 11.3:1 Maine avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.8%
vs 34.0% Maine avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Saco 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
Saco Middle School reports 586 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 56.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% 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 35% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 19.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 42% below the Maine average and 62% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 195 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Saco Public Schools spends $18,618 per pupil district-wide, below the Maine average of $23,827 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 53.3% from local sources (property taxes), 39.1% from the state, and 7.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (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 Saco 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 | 10.4:1 | ▼ 8% | 11.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.8% | ▼ 42% | 34.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 586 | top 91% | — | — |
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
19.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 42% 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
10.4:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 36% in Maine — lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$18,618
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 195 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 586 Top 91% in Maine — larger than 9% of 570 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 56.0
Students per teacher 10.4:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 19.8% -42% vs state
NCES ID 231038000308
Student demographics
White 79.9%
African American 8.9%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
Asian 2.2%
Two or More 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 79.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 195:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 29
Out-of-school suspensions 28
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Saco Public Schools, which includes Saco Middle School.
$18,618
Per student
-22%
vs Maine
Avg $23,827
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 53.3%
State 39.1%
Federal 7.6%
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
- 641
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 323
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Enrollment
- 268
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Enrollment
- 124
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
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 Saco Middle School
How many students attend Saco Middle School?
Saco Middle School has 586 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Saco, ME.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Saco Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Saco Middle School is 10.4:1, which is 8% lower than the Maine average of 11.3:1 and 35% 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 Saco Middle School?
19.8% of students at Saco Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maine average of 34.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Saco Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Saco Middle School is White at 79.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Saco, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Saco Middle School?
Saco Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (C+) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.