Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Houlton Southside School

Q: Is Houlton Southside School a good school?

Houlton Southside School ranks 189 th of 289 Maine elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Houlton Southside School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 368 students attended Houlton Southside School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Houlton Southside School?

Students at Houlton Southside School are 83% White, 11% American Indian, 2% Pacific Islander, 2% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Houlton Southside School attend?

Students who attend Houlton Southside School usually go on to attend: Middle : Houlton Junior High School High : Houlton High School

Public Grades 3-6

189^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 289 Maine Elementary Schools

Better than 35% of Maine elementary schools

Summary

Houlton Southside School is an elementary school serving grades 3-5 in Houlton, Maine, part of the Regional School Unit 29/Maine School Admin District 29. With 293 students, the school has consistently outperformed the district and state averages in English Language Arts proficiency, but lags behind in Mathematics and Science.

One key challenge for Houlton Southside School is its high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 23-30% in recent years, significantly higher than the state average. This may be contributing to the lower proficiency in Mathematics and Science, as consistent attendance is crucial for academic success. The school also has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 56-67% in recent years, higher than the nearby Houlton Elementary School.

While the school has shown strong performance for White and Low Socioeconomic Status students, it ranks much lower for Special Education students, indicating an area for improvement. Interestingly, the challenges facing Houlton Southside School appear to be district-wide, as the nearby Houlton Elementary School has very similar performance metrics. Additionally, Houlton Southside School's statewide ranking has dropped from the top 30% of Maine elementary schools in 2018-2019 to the bottom 35% in 2024-2025, a concerning trend of declining performance over time.

368

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,845

Per pupil spending ?

61.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

65 South Street
Houlton, ME 04730

(207) 532-6027

District: Regional School Unit 29/Maine School Admin District 29

Students who attend Houlton Southside School usually attend:

Middle:	Houlton Junior High School
High:	Houlton High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.2%

American Indian:

10.6%

Pacific Islander:

2.2%

See top rated Maine elementary schools

Compare Houlton Southside School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 69th percentile in 2015 → 35th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 34 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Science scores 23 pts below the Maine average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

District avg48%

Maine avg53%

189^th of 289

Maine public elementary schools ?

Bottom 35%▼ down 34 pts since 2015

From top 31% (2015) to bottom 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maine Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

111^th of 176Regional School Unit 29/Maine School Admin District 29 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	42.3	189 of 289	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.3	134 of 288	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.3	125 of 290	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.3	102 of 210	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.0	140 of 228	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.9	79 of 258	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.4	85 of 254	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	59.4	96 of 256	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	57.3	99 of 255	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	72.2	89 of 284	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	63.8	75 of 261	71.3%	★★★★☆
2012	67.6	56 of 258	78.3%	★★★★☆
2011	65.8	46 of 186	75.3%	★★★★☆
2010	62.5	56 of 193	71.0%	★★★★☆
2009	40.0	151 of 209	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	65.6	55 of 195	71.8%	★★★★☆
2007	64.6	52 of 198	73.7%	★★★★☆
2006	51.2	86 of 192	55.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	39.0	176 of 251	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.8	53 of 90	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	69.9	32 of 153	79.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	54.7	133 of 248	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	73.8	19 of 64	70.3%	★★★★☆
2019	82.0	12 of 82	85.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	48.6	154 of 251	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.0	58 of 90	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.8	84 of 153	45.1%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	35.9	2 of 2	0.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	24.4	153 of 192	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	43.5	91 of 150	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.8	10 of 31	67.7%	★★★★☆
2019	75.0	9 of 48	81.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)46th percentile+12 vs school

White (2025)39th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2025)39th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)30th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)20th percentile-14 vs school

Native American (2025)<1st percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs Maine (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts68%+4 vs state

Mathematics44%-6 vs state

Science13%-23 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Houlton Southside School and help other families decide.

Rate Houlton Southside School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Houlton Southside 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
Houlton Southside School	Public	3-6	65 South Street	Houlton	04730	Aroostook County	Regional School Unit 29/Maine School Admin District 29	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 532-6027	368	24	15.3	61.4%	306 (83.2%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	39 (10.6%)	8 (2.2%)	8 (2.2%)	42.3	189^th of 289 public elementary schools	34.6%		57.3	134^th of 288 public elementary schools	53.5%	55	67.8	43.8	13.2	$17,845
Houlton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	60 South Street	Houlton	04730	Aroostook County	Regional School Unit 29/Maine School Admin District 29	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 532-2285	282	23	12.5	75.9%	228 (80.9%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	41 (14.5%)	4 (1.4%)	3 (1.1%)								(n/a)				$17,907
Mill Pond School	Public	PK, KG-6	175 Hodgdon Mills Road	Hodgdon	04730	Aroostook County	Regional School Unit 70/Maine School Admin District 70	No	No	No	Yes	(207) 532-9228	289	23	12.4	65.7%	254 (87.9%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.8%)	69	92^nd of 289 public elementary schools	68.2%		78.3	59^th of 288 public elementary schools	79.5%	33	67.3	69.2	26.8	$22,450

Frequently Asked Questions about Houlton Southside School

What district is Houlton Southside School in?

Regional School Unit 29/Maine School Admin District 29

Is Houlton Southside School a good school?

Houlton Southside School ranks 189^th of 289 Maine elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Houlton Southside School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 368 students attended Houlton Southside School.

What schools do graduates of Houlton Southside School attend?

Students who attend Houlton Southside School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Houlton Junior High School
High : Houlton High School

What is the racial makeup of Houlton Southside School?

Students at Houlton Southside School are 83% White, 11% American Indian, 2% Pacific Islander, 2% Two or more races.

Rate Houlton Southside School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

MEMaine Elementary School Rankings

MEMaine District Rankings

Schools in Houlton, ME

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Houlton Southside School!

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.