Enrollment
920
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Sanford, ME
Sanford Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Sanford Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 231050023177
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sanford Middle School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Maine schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Maine.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Sanford · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.3:1
- large classes for Maine
- 36.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Sanford Middle School has class sizes larger than 76% of Maine schools. Computed live against every Maine school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sanford Middle School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Sanford, ME.
School address
District: Sanford Public Schools · Maine
NCES ID 231050023177 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
75.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 11.1:1 Maine avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.5%
vs 34.0% Maine avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sanford Middle School compares with Maine and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sanford Middle School
Sanford Middle School is a large elementary school in Sanford, Maine, enrolling 920 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 12.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Maine schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 36.5% lands close to the Maine typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Maine, bigger than 98% of state schools at 920 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 569 scored Maine schools.
Against 31 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #6.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 230 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 215 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 920 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Sanford Public Schools also operates Sanford High School (1,115 students) and Carl J Lamb School (436 students) alongside Sanford Middle 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 Sanford Middle School compares
Sanford Middle 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 | 12.3:1 | ▲ 11% | 11.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.5% | ▲ 7% | 34.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 920 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
920
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% above the Maine average of 34.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 76% in Maine - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
36.7%
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
$17,120
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maine avg of $20,083
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 230 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
91
in-school suspensions + 124 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 81.7%
Two or More 6.8%
African American 5.2%
Hispanic or Latino 4.7%
Asian 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 81.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.3, Sanford Middle School is more mixed than the Maine school average of 20.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sanford Public Schools, which includes Sanford Middle School.
$17,120
Per student
-15%
vs Maine
Avg $20,083
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.3%
State 63.0%
Federal 13.7%
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 Sanford Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanford High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Carl J Lamb School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Margaret Chase Smith | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sanford Pride Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sanford Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,115
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 436
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 396
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar elementary 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 (~920 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sanford Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Sanford Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Sanford Public Schools'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 Sanford Middle School
How many students attend Sanford Middle School?
Sanford Middle School has 920 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Sanford, ME.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sanford Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sanford Middle School is 12.3:1, which is 11% higher than the Maine average of 11.1:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sanford Middle School?
36.5% of students at Sanford Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maine average of 34.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sanford Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Sanford Middle School is White at 81.7% of enrollment, in Sanford, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sanford Middle School?
Sanford Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sanford Middle School rank among public schools in Sanford?
By Resource Investment Index, Sanford Middle School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Sanford, 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 Sanford on the city page.
Is Sanford Middle School a good school?
Sanford Middle School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Maine schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Maine. 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 Sanford Public Schools?
Besides Sanford Middle School, Sanford Public Schools also operates Sanford High School (1,115 students), Carl J Lamb School (436 students), and Margaret Chase Smith (396 students). See the Sanford Public Schools 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.