Enrollment
155
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Bethel, ME
Telstar Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Telstar Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 231167001010
👥 S:T ratio 64
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Telstar Middle School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Maine schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Bethel · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.1:1
- small classes for Maine
- 43.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Telstar Middle School has class sizes smaller than 80% of Maine schools. Computed live against every Maine school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Telstar Middle School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Bethel, ME.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.1:1
vs 11.1:1 Maine avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.0%
vs 34.0% Maine avg
+26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Telstar Middle School compares with Maine and U.S. medians
What stands out at Telstar Middle School
Telstar Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Bethel, Maine, enrolling 155 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Maine schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 43.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 155 puts it in the smaller third of Maine schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 569 scored Maine schools.
Against 101 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #47.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment) (diversity index 10/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 54.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Rsu 44/Msad 44 also operates Crescent Park School (263 students) and Telstar High School (179 students) alongside Telstar 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 Telstar Middle School compares
Telstar 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 | 9.1:1 | ▼ 18% | 11.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.0% | ▲ 26% | 34.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 155 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.1:1
Leaner classes than 92% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
155
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 26% 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
9.1:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 20% in Maine - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
54.8%
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
$18,197
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maine avg of $20,083
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 94.8%
Two or More 3.2%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 94.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.0, Telstar Middle School is less mixed than the Maine school average of 20.6.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rsu 44/Msad 44, which includes Telstar Middle School.
$18,197
Per student
-9%
vs Maine
Avg $20,083
+10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 78.0%
State 11.4%
Federal 10.6%
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.
How Telstar Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crescent Park School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Telstar High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Woodstock School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Telstar Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 263
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 179
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 67
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
Similar middle 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 (~155 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Telstar Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Telstar Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Rsu 44/Msad 44'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 Telstar Middle School
How many students attend Telstar Middle School?
Telstar Middle School has 155 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Bethel, ME.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Telstar Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Telstar Middle School is 9.1:1, which is 18% lower than the Maine average of 11.1:1 and 42% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Telstar Middle School?
43.0% of students at Telstar Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maine average of 34.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Telstar Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Telstar Middle School is White at 94.8% of enrollment, in Bethel, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Telstar Middle School?
Telstar Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Telstar Middle School rank among public schools in Bethel?
By Resource Investment Index, Telstar Middle School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Bethel, 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 Bethel on the city page.
Is Telstar Middle School a good school?
Telstar Middle School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% 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 44/Msad 44?
Besides Telstar Middle School, Rsu 44/Msad 44 also operates Crescent Park School (263 students), Telstar High School (179 students), and Woodstock School (67 students). See the Rsu 44/Msad 44 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.