Best High Schools in Portland, ME

Summary:

The city of Portland, Maine is home to 4 high schools, serving students in grades 9-12. These schools include Portland High School, Deering High School, Casco Bay High School, and Baxter Academy for Technical & Sciences. The data reveals significant performance differences between these schools, with Baxter Academy standing out as the top-performing high school in the area.

Baxter Academy for Technical & Sciences is the clear standout, ranking #1 out of 123 Maine high schools and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school boasts impressive test scores, with 67.86% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 63.95% proficient or better in Mathematics. In contrast, Deering High School appears to be the lowest-performing school, ranking 118th out of 121 Maine high schools with a 0-star rating. The other two schools, Portland High School and Casco Bay High School, fall somewhere in the middle, with Casco Bay performing better than Portland High.

Across all 4 high schools, the chronic absenteeism rate is a concerning 23.4%, which is higher than the state average. This suggests a potential area for improvement in student engagement and attendance. Additionally, the significant performance gap between Baxter Academy and the other district high schools may indicate inequities in educational resources and opportunities within the Portland Public Schools system. Further investigation into the factors contributing to this gap would be warranted to ensure all students in the Portland area have access to a high-quality education.

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
Deering High School	Public	9-12	370 Stevens Avenue	Portland	04103	Cumberland County	Portland Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 874-8260	850	68	12.4	65.8%	339 (39.9%)	306 (36.0%)	108 (12.7%)	43 (5.1%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (5.6%)	24.6	91^st of 119 public high schools	23.5%		6.9	118^th of 121 public high schools	2.5%	27	48.0	40.4	33.3	$24,782
Portland High School	Public	9-12	284 Cumberland AV	Portland	04101	Cumberland County	Portland Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 874-8250	912	63	14.4	53.1%	420 (46.1%)	281 (30.8%)	113 (12.4%)	36 (3.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (6.5%)	25.9	90^th of 119 public high schools	24.4%		22.4	95^th of 121 public high schools	21.5%	5	41.7	46.4	30.7	$21,863
Casco Bay High School	Public	9-12	196 Allen Avenue	Portland	04103	Cumberland County	Portland Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 874-8160	379	29	13.1	53.8%	195 (51.5%)	107 (28.2%)	31 (8.2%)	24 (6.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (4.7%)	40.9	56^th of 119 public high schools	52.9%		31.4	79^th of 121 public high schools	34.7%	23	58.6	54.7	27.7	$21,803
Baxter Academy for Technical & Sciences	Public, Charter	9-12	185 Lancaster Street	Portland	04101	Cumberland County	Baxter Academy for Technology and Science	Yes	No	No	No	(207) 699-5500	384	27	14.1	20.1%	335 (87.2%)	16 (4.2%)	6 (1.6%)	9 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.7%)	79.9	14^th of 119 public high schools	88.2%		80.3	10^th of 121 public high schools	91.7%	4	67.9	64.0	62.1	$13,103

Cities Near Portland

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
South Portland	2.01 mi	9	63^rd
Falmouth	2.31 mi	4	16^th
Peaks Island	3.23 mi	1
Westbrook	4.34 mi	6	199^th
Cape Elizabeth	4.91 mi	3	2^nd

See the top ME Maine cities

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.