Gardiner Area High School

Q: Is Gardiner Area High School a good school?

Gardiner Area High School ranks 75 th of 123 Maine high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Gardiner Area High School is a public high school serving 621 students in grades 9-12 in Gardiner, Maine. The school is part of the Regional School Unit 11/Maine School Admin District 11, which is ranked 107 out of 177 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Gardiner Area High School has a predominantly white student population, with 93.88% of students identifying as white, which is higher than the state average and nearby schools like Oak Hill High School and Wiscasset Middle/High School. The school's statewide ranking has fluctuated, ranging from 18th out of 82 high schools in 2020-2021 to 75th out of 123 high schools in 2022-2023, indicating a decline in performance compared to other Maine high schools. While the school's four-year graduation rate has improved, reaching 87.5% in 2022-2023, it remains lower than nearby schools like Maranacook Community High School (89.5%) and Winthrop High School (84.7%).

One significant concern at Gardiner Area High School is the sharp increase in chronic absenteeism, from 8.4% in 2020-2021 to 21.5% in 2022-2023, which is higher than the state average and most nearby schools, except for Wiscasset Middle/High School (62.0%) and Cony (43.7%). Additionally, the school's academic performance, as measured by the Maine Educational Assessment, has declined in recent years, falling below the state average and nearby schools in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. These challenges may be exacerbated by the school's higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (35.27%) compared to schools like Maranacook Community High School (11.27%) and Winthrop High School (26.7%).

Detail:

Public 9-12

40 West Hill Road
Gardiner, ME 04345

(207) 582-3150

District: Regional School Unit 11/Maine School Admin District 11

SchoolDigger Rank:
75^th of 123 Maine High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,283

Feeder schools for Gardiner Area High School:

Elementary:	Helen Thompson School
	Laura E Richards School
	Pittston-Randolph Consolidated School
	River View Community School
Middle:	Gardiner Regional Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.0

Number of students: 621

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.9%

Hispanic:

2.9%

African American:

1.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 35.3%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Gardiner Area High School ranks worse than 61% of high schools in Maine. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 35.72. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Gardiner Area High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.9%), African American (1.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 35.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Gardiner Area High School is 12. (See more...)

Compare Gardiner Area High School employs 51.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Gardiner Area High School is $16,283.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Gardiner Area High School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Gardiner Area High School 75^th of 123 Maine public high schools. (See Gardiner Area High School in the ranking list.)

Regional School Unit 11/Maine School Admin District 11:

SchoolDigger ranks Regional School Unit 11/Maine School Admin District 11 107^th of 177 Maine school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Gardiner Area High School

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Rank History for all students at Gardiner Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile
2010	40.14	59^th	103	42.7%
2011	43.70	54^th	105	48.6%
2012	53.88	40^th	107	62.6%
2013	40.36	64^th	106	39.6%
2015	5.83	89^th	98	9.2%
2016	27.09	84^th	111	24.3%
2017	37.44	68^th	111	38.7%
2018	58.12	35^th	114	69.3%
2019	51.79	40^th	114	64.9%
2021	84.39	18^th	82	78.0%
2022	48.76	60^th	98	38.8%
2023	35.72	75^th	123	39.0%

See the entire list of Maine High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Gardiner Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	49.80	39^th	76	48.7%

See the entire list of Best Maine High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Gardiner Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	46.05	40^th	92	56.5%

See the entire list of Best Maine High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Gardiner Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	46.40	41^st	92	55.4%

See the entire list of Best Maine High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Gardiner Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	33.72	11^th	21	47.6%

See the entire list of Best Maine High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Maine Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Maine Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Gardiner Area High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1991	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	839	839
1992	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	855	855
1993	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	818	818
1994	800	8	5	3	6	n/a	n/a	0	822
1995	773	4	3	1	17	n/a	n/a	0	798
1996	773	4	3	1	17	n/a	n/a	0	798
1997	770	6	5	3	31	n/a	n/a	0	815
1998	769	7	8	5	31	n/a	n/a	0	820
1999	743	8	4	11	29	n/a	n/a	0	795
2000	721	7	3	13	29	n/a	n/a	0	773
2001	755	5	3	10	29	n/a	n/a	0	802
2002	764	5	6	6	18	n/a	n/a	0	799
2003	764	5	6	6	18	n/a	n/a	0	799
2004	758	6	7	5	11	n/a	n/a	0	787
2005	736	4	4	1	6	n/a	n/a	0	751
2006	756	3	6	1	4	n/a	n/a	0	770
2007	748	6	5	1	2	n/a	n/a	0	762
2008	736	5	5	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	748
2009	716	7	4	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	732
2010	676	9	5	5	3	n/a	n/a	0	698
2011	640	7	7	5	1	0	1	0	661
2012	626	13	6	4	0	1	0	0	650
2013	581	6	4	10	1	1	6	0	609
2014	567	5	6	13	1	1	6	0	599
2015	596	12	9	18	2	0	5	0	642
2016	602	5	7	18	1	0	9	0	642
2017	607	0	0	0	0	0	16	0	623
2018	610	4	3	11	3	0	9	0	640
2019	588	7	6	14	1	0	4	0	620
2020	587	12	6	15	2	0	5	0	627
2021	613	10	2	17	0	1	8	0	651
2022	588	9	2	17	0	1	5	0	622
2023	583	8	5	18	2	1	4	0	621

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Gardiner Area High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	839	58.3	14.3	n/a
1992	855	56.0	15.2	n/a
1993	818	55.0	14.9	6.1
1994	822	48.0	17.1	7.1
1995	798	47.0	17.0	12.2
1996	798	47.0	17.0	12.2
1997	815	49.5	16.5	14.5
1998	820	50.7	16.2	14.4
1999	795	50.1	15.9	19.6
2000	773	48.6	15.9	14.7
2001	802	50.6	15.8	18.8
2002	799	51.1	15.6	20.2
2003	799	51.1	15.6	20.2
2004	787	54.2	14.5	21.6
2005	751	54.4	13.8	21.4
2006	770	55.6	13.8	23.4
2007	762	56.0	13.6	26
2008	748	71.8	10.4	25.3
2009	732	53.8	13.4	28.8
2010	698	52.5	13.3	35.4
2011	661	51.1	12.9	37.8
2012	650	50.2	12.9	7.2
2013	609	48.0	12.6	37.8
2014	599	47.0	12.7	48.6
2015	642	49.0	13.1	46.4
2016	642	49.0	13.1	42.8
2017	623	49.9	12.4	42.5
2018	640	48.9	13.0	40.3
2019	620	50.9	12.1	36.1
2020	627	50.0	12.5	36
2021	651	49.4	13.1	40.7
2022	622	52.5	11.8	32.8
2023	621	51.4	12.0	35.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Gardiner Area High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	839	58.3	14.3	n/a
1992	855	56.0	15.2	n/a
1993	818	55.0	14.9	6.1
1994	822	48.0	17.1	7.1
1995	798	47.0	17.0	12.2
1996	798	47.0	17.0	12.2
1997	815	49.5	16.5	14.5
1998	820	50.7	16.2	14.4
1999	795	50.1	15.9	19.6
2000	773	48.6	15.9	14.7
2001	802	50.6	15.8	18.8
2002	799	51.1	15.6	20.2
2003	799	51.1	15.6	20.2
2004	787	54.2	14.5	21.6
2005	751	54.4	13.8	21.4
2006	770	55.6	13.8	23.4
2007	762	56.0	13.6	26
2008	748	71.8	10.4	25.3
2009	732	53.8	13.4	28.8
2010	698	52.5	13.3	35.4
2011	661	51.1	12.9	37.8
2012	650	50.2	12.9	7.2
2013	609	48.0	12.6	37.8
2014	599	47.0	12.7	48.6
2015	642	49.0	13.1	46.4
2016	642	49.0	13.1	42.8
2017	623	49.9	12.4	42.5
2018	640	48.9	13.0	40.3
2019	620	50.9	12.1	36.1
2020	627	50.0	12.5	36
2021	651	49.4	13.1	40.7
2022	622	52.5	11.8	32.8
2023	621	51.4	12.0	35.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Gardiner Area High School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$12,139
2019	$13,200
2020	$14,112
2021	$15,304
2022	$15,606
2023	$16,283

Data source: Maine Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Gardiner Area High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 40^th of 114 High schools	Ranks 75^th of 123 High schools	25.9%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	620	621	0.2%
African American	7	8	14.3%
American Indian	1	2	100%
Asian	6	5	16.7%
Hispanic	14	18	28.6%
Pacific Islander	0	1
White	588	583	0.9%
Two or More Races	4	4
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	36.1%	35.3%	0.9%

Schools Near Gardiner Area High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				MEA English Language Arts (2023)	MEA Mathematics (2023)	MEA Science (2023)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MEA English Language Arts All Grades	MEA Mathematics All Grades	MEA Science All Grades	Total
Gardiner Area High School	Public	9-12	40 West Hill Road	Gardiner	04345	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 11/Maine School Admin District 11	No	No	No	No	(207) 582-3150	621	51	12.0	35.3%	583 (93.9%)	8 (1.3%)	18 (2.9%)	5 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.6%)	35.7	75^th of 123 public high schools	39.0%		48.8	60^th of 98 public high schools	38.8%	15	60.2	41.4	32.9	$16,283
Hall-Dale Middle and High School	Public	6-12	97 Maple ST	Farmingdale	04344	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 02	No	No	No	No	(207) 622-6211	522	47	11.1	30.8%	485 (92.9%)	5 (1.0%)	10 (1.9%)	9 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (2.1%)	59.5	29^th of 123 public high schools	76.4%		59.5	44^th of 98 public high schools	55.1%	15	72.9	42.4	46.0	$16,910
Maine Arts Academy School	Public, Charter	9-12	310 Cony Road	Augusta	04330	Kennebec County	Maine Arts Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(207) 480-7917	225	14	15.8	23.1%	205 (91.1%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (4.0%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.7%)	54.2	35^th of 123 public high schools	71.5%					(n/a)	79.4	31.2	39.6	$11,742
Maine Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	7-12	6 East Chestnut Street	Augusta	04330	Kennebec County	Maine Virtual Academy	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(207) 613-8900	438	34	13.0	52.3%	376 (85.8%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (7.3%)	2 (0.5%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.0%)	29.4	86^th of 123 public high schools	30.1%		66.3	30^th of 98 public high schools	69.4%	56	57.6	28.9	38.0	$11,334
Cony	Public	9-12	60 Pierce Drive	Augusta	04330	Kennebec County	Augusta Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 626-2460	685	45	15.3	39.6%	631 (92.1%)	9 (1.3%)	20 (2.9%)	6 (0.9%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.3%)	21.2	103^rd of 123 public high schools	16.3%		18.9	91^st of 98 public high schools	7.1%	12	54.3	36.0	27.4	$14,537
Winthrop High School	Public	9-12	211 Rambler Road	Winthrop	04364	Kennebec County	Winthrop Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 377-2228	221	19	11.4	26.7%	204 (92.3%)	7 (3.2%)	5 (2.3%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	57.6	31^st of 123 public high schools	74.8%		55.8	53^rd of 98 public high schools	45.9%	22	66.7	46.9	46.3	$20,704
Monmouth Academy	Public	9-12	96 Academy Road	Monmouth	04259	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 02	No	No	No	No	(207) 933-4416	191	20	9.7	28.8%	176 (92.1%)	2 (1.0%)	6 (3.1%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.6%)	52.3	38^th of 123 public high schools	69.1%					(n/a)	65.8	36.8	48.7	$19,892
Maranacook Community High School	Public	9-12	2250 Millard Harrison Drive	Readfield	04355	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 38	No	No	No	No	(207) 685-4923	355	33	10.6	11.3%	339 (95.5%)	2 (0.6%)	5 (1.4%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)	45.3	47^th of 123 public high schools	61.8%		51.2	58^th of 98 public high schools	40.8%	11	62.1	46.3	36.6	$18,453
Oak Hill High School	Public	9-12	56 School Road	Wales	04280	Androscoggin County	Regional School Unit 04	No	No	No	No	(207) 375-4950	404	35	11.4	35.1%	379 (93.8%)	2 (0.5%)	12 (3.0%)	6 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.2%)	19.4	108^th of 123 public high schools	12.2%		58.7	46^th of 98 public high schools	53.1%	62	40.2	18.9	36.8	$18,919
Wiscasset Middle/High School	Public	6-12	225 Gardiner Road	Wiscasset	04578	Lincoln County	Wiscasset Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 882-7722	257	28	9.3	33.9%	238 (92.6%)	9 (3.5%)	2 (0.8%)	4 (1.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	19	109^th of 123 public high schools	11.4%					(n/a)	59.2	23.6	24.0	$20,925

Frequently Asked Questions about Gardiner Area High School

Is Gardiner Area High School a good school?

Gardiner Area High School ranks 75^th of 123 Maine high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Gardiner Area High School in?

Regional School Unit 11/Maine School Admin District 11

What is the racial makeup of Gardiner Area High School?

Students at Gardiner Area High School are 94% White, 3% Hispanic, 1% African American.

How many students attend Gardiner Area High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 621 students attended Gardiner Area High School.

What schools feed into Gardiner Area High School?

Gardiner Area High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Helen Thompson School
Elementary : Laura E Richards School
Elementary : Pittston-Randolph Consolidated School
Elementary : River View Community School
Middle : Gardiner Regional Middle School

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Maine Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.