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Telstar High School

Q: Is Telstar High School a good school?

Telstar High School ranks 72 nd of 119 Maine high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

72^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 119 Maine High Schools

Better than 39% of Maine high schools

Summary

Telstar High School is a public high school located in Bethel, Maine, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 168 students. The school is part of the Regional School Unit 44/Maine School Admin District 44, which is ranked 94 out of 176 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Telstar High School has experienced fluctuations in its statewide ranking, ranging from 14th to 110th out of Maine high schools, and its SchoolDigger rating has also varied, from 0 stars in 2016-2017 to 4 stars in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. Compared to nearby schools, Telstar High School generally performs better than Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School (ranked 92nd-115th) and Dirigo High School (ranked 112th-121st), but lags behind Mountain Valley High School (ranked 69th-97th). Telstar High School's four-year graduation rates have ranged from 77.5% to 87.8% in recent years, comparable to the nearby schools.

However, Telstar High School has experienced high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 23.4% to 52.2% in recent years, significantly higher than the 23.4% rate reported for Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School and Dirigo High School. Academically, the school has higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts compared to the district and state averages, but lower proficiency in Mathematics and Science. Additionally, Telstar High School has a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 38.69% to 50% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in recent years, higher than the nearby schools. Despite these challenges, Telstar High School benefits from a low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 10 to 11.6 students per teacher, which may contribute to its academic strengths in certain areas.

179

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$31,235

Per pupil spending ?

57%

Free/discounted lunch ?

284 Walkers Mills Rd
Bethel, ME 04217

(207) 824-2136

District: Regional School Unit 44/Maine School Admin District 44

Feeder schools for Telstar High School:

Elementary:	Crescent Park School
	Woodstock School
Middle:	Telstar Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.6%

Two or more races:

6.1%

Pacific Islander:

1.1%

See top rated Maine high schools

Compare Telstar High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 89th percentile in 2023 → 39th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Maine average (44% vs 53% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (46% vs 23% Maine)

!Ranking has slipped from its 89th-percentile peak (2023) to 39th (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg54%

Maine avg53%

72^nd of 119

Maine public high schools ?

Bottom 39%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From top 46% (2015) to bottom 39% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maine High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

94^th of 176Regional School Unit 44/Maine School Admin District 44 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	34.3	72 of 119	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.0	35 of 121	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	72.6	14 of 123	88.6%	★★★★☆
2022	69.9	23 of 98	76.5%	★★★★☆
2019	38.4	61 of 114	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	16.1	100 of 114	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	3.7	110 of 111	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	31.7	74 of 111	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	31.0	45 of 98	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	36.8	71 of 106	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2012	21.9	92 of 107	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	36.1	69 of 105	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	24.2	84 of 103	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	53.5	39 of 107	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.0	57 of 92	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	66.0	23 of 108	78.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	50.3	28 of 108	74.1%	★★★★☆
2019	68.5	24 of 92	73.9%	★★★★☆

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)79th percentile+39 vs school

Male (2025)74th percentile+35 vs school

Female (2025)64th percentile+24 vs school

By subject vs Maine (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts61%-3 vs state

Mathematics51%~ state avg

Science18%-18 vs state

3.0

5 ratings · 5 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, December 8, 2017

Very poor teacher involvement past handing out assigment for the most part. Lack of excitment on teachers part, it is just a paycheck, go in get out job for the majority of them. Everything extra curriculum has been taken away from the kids. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, December 7, 2017

I went to Telstar and although I did not put much effort into it the teachers always pushed you to do your best. My son now goes to Telstar and so far he is getting all the help he needs. School is what you put into it. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Proud to be a parent of a Telstar Graduate! Ms Dole is an exceptional teacher too. Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Here in our family we love Telstar High School! Our daughter is a sophomore there, currently, and enjoys the small size, because she can have frequent interaction with her teachers and the staff. The teachers and other staff are very dedicated and work hard to make the school day productive and interesting for the students. The administrators are dedicated and open to parent involvement. The PTO group is strong and very positive. We need more kids on our sports teams, but overall, things are Telstar are going in a very good direction! Close Quote

by a citizen
Tuesday, December 5, 2017

The administration at this facility is horrendous and is in desperate need of replacement. Close Quote

Schools Near Telstar High 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
Telstar High School	Public	9-12	284 Walkers Mills Rd	Bethel	04217	Oxford County	Regional School Unit 44/Maine School Admin District 44	No	No	No	No	(207) 824-2136	179	16	11.3	57.0%	164 (91.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	2 (1.1%)	11 (6.1%)	34.3	72^nd of 119 public high schools	39.5%		54	35^th of 121 public high schools	71.1%	37	61.0	51.3	18.4	$31,235
Mountain Valley High School	Public	9-12	799 Hancock Street	Rumford	04276	Oxford County	Regional School Unit 10	No	No	No	No	(207) 364-4547	369	32	11.4	73.2%	328 (88.9%)	9 (2.4%)	21 (5.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.7%)	21.8	97^th of 119 public high schools	18.5%		37.8	69^th of 121 public high schools	43.0%	28	59.3	19.8	27.9	$20,209
Dirigo High School	Public	9-12	145 Weld Street	Dixfield	04224	Oxford County	Regional School Unit 56	No	No	No	No	(207) 562-4251	216	17	12.5	56.5%	202 (93.5%)	1 (0.5%)	6 (2.8%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.8%)	11.8	112^th of 119 public high schools	5.9%		3.5	120^th of 121 public high schools	0.8%	8	49.1	37.0	13.5	$24,195
Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School	Public	9-12	256 Main Street	Paris	04271	Oxford County	Regional School Unit 17/Maine School Admin District 17	No	No	No	No	(207) 743-8914	1,010	69	14.7	52.6%	937 (92.8%)	7 (0.7%)	31 (3.1%)	7 (0.7%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (2.4%)	8.3	115^th of 119 public high schools	3.4%		12.6	111^th of 121 public high schools	8.3%	4	48.2	31.4	12.6	$18,170

Frequently Asked Questions about Telstar High School

Is Telstar High School a good school?

Telstar High School ranks 72^nd of 119 Maine high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Telstar High School?

Telstar High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Crescent Park School
Elementary : Woodstock School
Middle : Telstar Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Telstar High School?

Students at Telstar High School are 92% White, 6% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander.

How many students attend Telstar High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 179 students attended Telstar High School.

What district is Telstar High School in?

Regional School Unit 44/Maine School Admin District 44

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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.