Enrollment
155
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 231167001010
Telstar Middle School — Bethel, ME
Federal NCES profile for Telstar Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
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: Rsu 44/Msad 44 · 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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.1:1
vs 11.3:1 Maine avg
-11% 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
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
Telstar Middle School reports 155 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 36% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 26% above the Maine average and 17% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 54.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rsu 44/Msad 44 spends $19,493 per pupil district-wide, below the Maine average of $23,827 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 78.0% from local sources (property taxes), 11.4% from the state, and 10.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), 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 Telstar 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 | 10.1:1 | ▼ 11% | 11.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.0% | ▲ 26% | 34.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 155 | top 29% | — | — |
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
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
10.1:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 31% in Maine — lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
54.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$19,493
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maine avg of $23,827
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
Enrollment 155 Top 29% in Maine — larger than 71% of 570 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 10.1:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.0% +26% vs state
NCES ID 231167001010
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 54.8%
In-school suspensions 8
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rsu 44/Msad 44, which includes Telstar Middle School.
$19,493
Per student
-18%
vs Maine
Avg $23,827
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 263
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
- Enrollment
- 179
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Enrollment
- 67
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
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 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 10.1:1, which is 11% lower than the Maine average of 11.3:1 and 36% 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bethel, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Telstar Middle School?
Telstar Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.