Ames Elementary School

Ames Elementary School is an elementary school of tight-knit scale in Searsmont, Maine, operated by RSU 71, educateing 122 students in grades 2 through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 47% leaner than the state mean of about 229.

Within RSU 71, which oversees 7 schools and 1,396 students, Ames Elementary School is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Ames Elementary School lists that nearly all students (94%) are White; the rest consists of 4% Hispanic. That composition is broadly in line with Waldo County as a whole.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.0:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 10.5:1, putting Ames Elementary School higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 57% of students at Ames Elementary School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Waldo County) logs that median household income runs about $72,782, roughly 34% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Across Waldo County's 27 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,843 students), Ames Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Gladys Weymouth Elem School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 5.6 miles from this campus. Within ten miles, there are 7 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 5%: 129 students in 2018 compared to 122 in 2025.

On this page, members of the Ames Elementary School community share and discuss pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.