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Margaret Chase Smith

Q: Is Margaret Chase Smith a good school?

Margaret Chase Smith ranks 192 nd of 289 Maine elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-4

192^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 289 Maine Elementary Schools

Better than 34% of Maine elementary schools

Summary

Margaret Chase Smith is an elementary school located in Sanford, Maine, serving grades PK-4 with a student population of 439. The school is part of the Sanford Public Schools district, which is ranked 142 out of 176 districts in Maine and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Margaret Chase Smith has shown fluctuating academic performance over the past few years, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics ranging from around 50% to 90% proficient or better. Compared to the Sanford Public Schools district and the state of Maine, the school's proficiency rates are generally lower, particularly in recent years. However, in 2021-2022 and 2020-2021, Margaret Chase Smith's proficiency rates were significantly higher than the district and state, suggesting the school may have experienced a temporary academic boost during those years. The school's performance also varies across different student subgroups, with female students and students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds performing less well than their peers.

Additionally, Margaret Chase Smith has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 12.8% to 30.2% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state's average. The school also has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 44.71% to 53.16% over the past few years, suggesting a significant population of students from low-income families. Despite these challenges, the school has maintained a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 11 to 12.2 students per teacher over the past few years, which is comparable to the nearby schools in the Sanford Public Schools district.

396

Students ?

10.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,286

Per pupil spending ?

54%

Free/discounted lunch ?

248 Twombley Rd
Sanford, ME 04073

(207) 324-7586

District: Sanford Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.3%

African American:

7.3%

Two or more races:

5.6%

See top rated Maine elementary schools

Compare Margaret Chase Smith to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 63rd percentile in 2021 → 34th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 29 percentile points since 2021

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school55%

District avg49%

Maine avg57%

192^nd of 289

Maine public elementary schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 29 pts since 2021

From top 37% (2021) to bottom 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maine Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Elementary Schools in the Sanford Public Schools

142^nd of 176Sanford Public Schools among Maine districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	41.9	192 of 289	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.6	164 of 288	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	205 of 290	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	69.1	58 of 210	72.4%	★★★★☆
2021	58.6	85 of 228	62.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	31.1	197 of 251	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	71.4	22 of 90	75.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	49.2	147 of 248	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	58.1	128 of 251	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	73.9	23 of 90	74.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	56.4	86 of 192	55.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	42.6	93 of 150	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2025)55th percentile+22 vs school

Male (2025)49th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)41st percentile+7 vs school

White (2025)38th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)22nd percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Maine (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts59%-5 vs state

Mathematics51%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Margaret Chase Smith

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MEA English Language Arts (2025)	MEA Mathematics (2025)	MEA Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MEA English Language Arts All Grades	MEA Mathematics All Grades	MEA Science All Grades	Total
Margaret Chase Smith	Public	PK, KG-4	248 Twombley Rd	Sanford	04073	York County	Sanford Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 324-7586	396	36	10.9	54.0%	326 (82.3%)	29 (7.3%)	15 (3.8%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.6%)	41.9	192^nd of 289 public elementary schools	33.6%		49.6	164^th of 288 public elementary schools	43.1%	28	58.6	51.2		$19,286
Sanford Pride Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	708 Main Street	Sanford	04073	York County	Sanford Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 324-8454	383	31	12.3	71.8%	303 (79.1%)	32 (8.4%)	21 (5.5%)	8 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.7%)	39.9	201^st of 289 public elementary schools	30.4%		28.4	240^th of 288 public elementary schools	16.7%	39	56.9	51.7		$20,573
Carl J Lamb School	Public	PK, KG-4	233 Shaws Ridge Road	Springvale	04083	York County	Sanford Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 324-8481	436	39	11.1	58.9%	355 (81.4%)	24 (5.5%)	30 (6.9%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (4.8%)	32.3	223^rd of 289 public elementary schools	22.8%		41.8	194^th of 288 public elementary schools	32.6%	29	47.3	53.6		$22,075
Alfred Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	21 Sanford Road	Alfred	04002	York County	Regional School Unit 57/Maine School Admin District 57	No	No	No	No	(207) 324-3831	179	16	11.1	35.2%	159 (88.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.4%)	4 (2.2%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	7 (3.9%)	72.2	81^st of 289 public elementary schools	72.0%		74.9	77^th of 288 public elementary schools	73.3%	4	71.6	72.8	20.0	$21,235
Hanson School	Public	K-3	53 Upper Guinea Road	Lebanon	04027	York County	Regional School Unit 60/Maine School Admin District 60	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 457-1299	267	23	11.6	40.8%	248 (92.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.1%)	63.3	114^th of 289 public elementary schools	60.6%		84	42^nd of 288 public elementary schools	85.4%	72	62.3	64.9		$22,203
Lebanon Elementary School	Public	4-5	65 Upper Guinea Road	Lebanon	04027	York County	Regional School Unit 60/Maine School Admin District 60	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 457-1126	135	12	10.9	37.8%	132 (97.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.5%)								(n/a)	75.4	61.9	11.6	$23,878
North Berwick Elementary School	Public	K-4	25 Varney Road	North Berwick	03906	York County	Regional School Unit 60/Maine School Admin District 60	No	No	No	No	(207) 676-9811	258	21	12.2	26.0%	239 (92.6%)	2 (0.8%)	4 (1.6%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.9%)	86.6	40^th of 289 public elementary schools	86.2%		89	29^th of 288 public elementary schools	89.9%	11	72.2	80.4		$21,260
Acton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	700 Milton Mills Road	Acton	04001	York County	Acton Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 636-2100	256	24	10.6	30.1%	242 (94.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.1%)	38.9	204^th of 289 public elementary schools	29.4%		53.7	147^th of 288 public elementary schools	49.0%	57	55.1	48.0	45.3	$24,593
Lyman Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	39 Schoolhouse Road	Lyman	04002	York County	Regional School Unit 57/Maine School Admin District 57	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 499-7228	241	20	12.0	42.7%	219 (90.9%)	1 (0.4%)	8 (3.3%)	6 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.9%)	41.6	194^th of 289 public elementary schools	32.9%		54.7	139^th of 288 public elementary schools	51.7%	55	57.6	55.6	20.7	$21,068
Shapleigh Memorial School	Public	PK, KG-5	467 Shapleigh Corner Road	Shapleigh	04076	York County	Regional School Unit 57/Maine School Admin District 57	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 636-1751	153	13	11.5	43.8%	142 (92.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.6%)	31.7	225^th of 289 public elementary schools	22.1%		23.7	251^st of 288 public elementary schools	12.8%	26	60.9	39.1	30.0	$19,762

Frequently Asked Questions about Margaret Chase Smith

What district is Margaret Chase Smith in?

Sanford Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Margaret Chase Smith?

Students at Margaret Chase Smith are 82% White, 7% African American, 6% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Margaret Chase Smith?

In the 2024-25 school year, 396 students attended Margaret Chase Smith.

Is Margaret Chase Smith a good school?

Margaret Chase Smith ranks 192^nd of 289 Maine elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Margaret Chase Smith!

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Schools in Sanford, ME

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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.