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Helen Thompson School

Q: Is Helen Thompson School a good school?

Helen Thompson School ranks 155 th of 289 Maine elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

155^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 289 Maine Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of Maine elementary schools

Summary

Helen Thompson School is an elementary school located in West Gardiner, Maine, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 257 students. It is part of the Regional School Unit 11/Maine School Admin District 11, which is ranked 72 out of 176 districts in Maine and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Helen Thompson School has consistently ranked in the middle range of Maine elementary schools, typically between 115-178 out of around 290 schools. In 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (65.18%) and Mathematics (57.14%) were above the district and state averages, but its Science proficiency (25.58%) was significantly lower. The school's performance on state assessments has been mixed, with English Language Arts proficiency close to or slightly below the district and state averages, while its Mathematics proficiency has been slightly above. Interestingly, the nearby Carrie Ricker School has significantly lower academic performance compared to Helen Thompson School, while Manchester Elementary School has consistently outperformed it.

One area of concern at Helen Thompson School is the significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 12.3% in 2021-2022 to 25.5% in 2022-2023 and 23.4% in 2023-2024. This trend is not unique to Helen Thompson, as many nearby schools, such as Pittston-Randolph Consolidated School and Laura E Richards School, have also reported high rates of chronic absenteeism. The school has shown some strengths in the performance of specific student subgroups, such as male students and special education students, but the performance for female students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds has been in the middle to lower range compared to other Maine elementary schools.

245

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,308

Per pupil spending ?

33.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

309 Spears Corner Road
West Gardiner, ME 04345

(207) 724-3930

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

Students who attend Helen Thompson School usually attend:

Middle:	Gardiner Regional Middle School
High:	Gardiner Area High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

93.9%

Two or more races:

2.4%

Hispanic:

1.6%

See top rated Maine elementary schools

Compare Helen Thompson School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 38th percentile in 2015 → 46th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Science scores 11 pts below the Maine average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school55%

District avg55%

Maine avg53%

155^th of 289

Maine public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 38% (2015) to bottom 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maine Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Regional School Unit 11/Maine School Admin District 11

72^nd of 176Regional School Unit 11/Maine School Admin District 11 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	53.9	155 of 289	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.9	178 of 288	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.7	176 of 290	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.5	115 of 210	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.1	123 of 228	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.1	170 of 258	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.3	201 of 254	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	45.4	137 of 256	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	23.9	222 of 255	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	45.7	176 of 284	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	46.3	151 of 261	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.4	173 of 258	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	56.2	77 of 186	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	40.7	130 of 193	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	38.8	154 of 209	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	38.1	136 of 195	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	56.9	73 of 198	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	56.6	72 of 192	62.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	55.0	131 of 251	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.5	74 of 153	51.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	42.8	170 of 248	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	68.9	95 of 251	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.9	103 of 153	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	64.3	68 of 192	64.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	41.9	96 of 150	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)65th percentile+18 vs school

Male (2025)62nd percentile+16 vs school

Female (2025)48th percentile~ school

White (2025)36th percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)31st percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Maine (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts65%~ state avg

Mathematics57%+8 vs state

Science26%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Helen Thompson School

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
Helen Thompson School	Public	PK, KG-5	309 Spears Corner Road	West Gardiner	04345	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 11/Maine School Admin District 11	No	No	No	No	(207) 724-3930	245	19	12.6	33.1%	230 (93.9%)	2 (0.8%)	4 (1.6%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.4%)	53.9	155^th of 289 public elementary schools	46.4%		46.9	178^th of 288 public elementary schools	38.2%	23	65.2	57.1	25.6	$19,308
Laura E Richards School	Public	PK, KG-2	279 Brunswick Avenue	Gardiner	04345	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 11/Maine School Admin District 11	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 582-3612	219	16	13.7	40.6%	202 (92.2%)	6 (2.7%)	9 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)								(n/a)				$17,466
Hall-Dale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	26 Garden Lane	Hallowell	04347	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 02	No	No	No	No	(207) 623-8677	311	31	10.1	37.9%	272 (87.5%)	6 (1.9%)	13 (4.2%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	15 (4.8%)	68.5	95^th of 289 public elementary schools	67.1%		59.5	126^th of 288 public elementary schools	56.3%	31	71.0	57.9	40.4	$21,322
Pittston-Randolph Consolidated School	Public	K-5	1023 Pittston School Street	Pittston	04345	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 11/Maine School Admin District 11	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 582-6268	200	17	11.5	44.5%	187 (93.5%)	1 (0.5%)	7 (3.5%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.0%)	71.6	86^th of 289 public elementary schools	70.2%		71.4	87^th of 288 public elementary schools	69.8%	1	75.0	59.8	33.3	$19,100
River View Community School	Public	3-5	821 River Road	South Gardiner	04359	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 11/Maine School Admin District 11	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 582-3402	192	15	12.8	40.6%	180 (93.8%)	3 (1.6%)	7 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	40.4	199^th of 289 public elementary schools	31.1%		39.8	199^th of 288 public elementary schools	30.9%		57.9	54.9	21.1	$18,192
Manchester Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	17 School St.	Manchester	04351	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 38	No	No	No	No	(207) 622-2949	150	16	9.2	25.3%	139 (92.7%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.3%)	86.9	38^th of 289 public elementary schools	86.9%		77.7	63^rd of 288 public elementary schools	78.1%	25	78.5	74.7	42.4	$22,842
Winthrop Grade School	Public	PK, KG-5	23 Highland AVE	Winthrop	04364	Kennebec County	Winthrop Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 377-2241	372	33	11.1	31.7%	345 (92.7%)	10 (2.7%)	6 (1.6%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	54.9	151^st of 289 public elementary schools	47.8%		50.8	158^th of 288 public elementary schools	45.1%	7	64.8	59.3	16.7	$23,563
Lincoln School	Public	K-6	30 Lincoln Street	Augusta	04330	Kennebec County	Augusta Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 626-2483	291	23	12.7	62.2%	267 (91.8%)	10 (3.4%)	6 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.1%)	51.9	160^th of 289 public elementary schools	44.6%		36.7	217^th of 288 public elementary schools	24.7%	57	63.5	52.8		$22,543
Libby-Tozier School	Public	PK-K	466 Academy Road	Litchfield	04350	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 04	No	No	No	No	(207) 375-4273	143	11	13.0	50.3%	134 (93.7%)	1 (0.7%)	3 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.5%)								(n/a)				$21,793
Carrie Ricker School	Public	3-4	573 Richmond Road	Litchfield	04350	Kennebec County	Regional School Unit 04	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 268-4136	174	15	11.4	50.6%	169 (97.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.3%)	24.3	242^nd of 289 public elementary schools	16.3%		37.4	212^th of 288 public elementary schools	26.4%	30	50.0	45.6		$24,728

Frequently Asked Questions about Helen Thompson School

Is Helen Thompson School a good school?

Helen Thompson School ranks 155^th of 289 Maine elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Helen Thompson School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 245 students attended Helen Thompson School.

What district is Helen Thompson School in?

Regional School Unit 11/Maine School Admin District 11

What schools do graduates of Helen Thompson School attend?

Students who attend Helen Thompson School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Gardiner Regional Middle School
High : Gardiner Area High School

What is the racial makeup of Helen Thompson School?

Students at Helen Thompson School are 94% White, 2% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

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Schools in West Gardiner, 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.