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South Portland High School

Q: Is South Portland High School a good school?

South Portland High School ranks 25 th of 119 Maine high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

25^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 119 Maine High Schools

Better than 79% of Maine high schools

Summary

South Portland High School is a public high school serving 995 students in grades 9-12 in South Portland, Maine, which is part of the South Portland Public Schools district. The school has seen fluctuations in its academic performance, with 68.93% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts, 55.56% in Mathematics, and 33.89% in Science in the 2024-2025 school year. However, the school maintains a relatively strong four-year graduation rate, ranging from 87.3% to 91.0% in recent years.

One area of concern for South Portland High School is its chronic absenteeism rate, which has ranged from 17.1% to 25.9% in recent years, higher than the state average. The school also has a significant population of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 26.59% to 36.28% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. When compared to nearby high-performing schools like Falmouth High School and Scarborough High School, South Portland High School has room for improvement, particularly in mathematics and science proficiency.

However, South Portland High School has shown strong performance among certain student subgroups, ranking 2nd out of 9 Maine high schools for African American students and 3rd out of 4 for Hispanic students in terms of academic proficiency. Additionally, the school's performance is generally higher than that of Westbrook High School and Deering High School, which are closer in proximity. Overall, South Portland High School is a solid performer among Maine high schools, with opportunities for continued growth and improvement.

928

Students ?

11.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,416

Per pupil spending ?

42.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

637 Highland Avenue
South Portland, ME 04106

(207) 767-3266

District: South Portland Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.9%

African American:

19.0%

Hispanic:

8.2%

See top rated Maine high schools

Compare South Portland High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 48th percentile in 2015 → 79th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranks in the top 21% of Maine high schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 31 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school54%

District avg58%

Maine avg53%

25^th of 119

Maine public high schools ?

Top 21%▲ up 31 pts since 2015

From bottom 48% (2015) to top 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maine High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

39^th of 176South Portland Public Schools 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	57.6	25 of 119	79.0%	★★★★☆
2024	48.2	48 of 121	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	19.6	107 of 123	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.4	92 of 98	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	57.8	57 of 82	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	77.6	21 of 114	81.6%	★★★★☆
2018	54.4	39 of 114	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	53.6	42 of 111	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	57.7	35 of 111	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	26.7	51 of 98	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	72.7	18 of 106	83.0%	★★★★☆
2012	73.9	20 of 107	81.3%	★★★★☆
2011	73.4	23 of 105	78.1%	★★★★☆
2010	73.9	19 of 103	81.6%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	60.9	2 of 9	77.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	52.2	42 of 107	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	78.2	17 of 92	81.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	15.4	3 of 4	25.0%	★★★★☆
2019	54.5	1 of 1	0.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	34.7	55 of 108	49.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.8	45 of 76	40.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	60.5	18 of 108	83.3%	★★★★☆
2019	66.3	25 of 92	72.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	58.9	15 of 57	73.7%	★★★★☆
2019	35.3	11 of 20	45.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maine percentile	Rating
2025	70.6	13 of 57	77.2%	★★★★☆
2019	63.6	7 of 21	66.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2025)83rd percentile+4 vs school

African American (2025)78th percentile~ school

White (2025)77th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)74th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)61st percentile-18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)49th percentile-30 vs school

Hispanic (2025)25th percentile-54 vs school

By subject vs Maine (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts69%+5 vs state

Mathematics56%+6 vs state

Science34%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near South Portland 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
South Portland High School	Public	9-12	637 Highland Avenue	South Portland	04106	Cumberland County	South Portland Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 767-3266	928	81	11.5	42.8%	593 (63.9%)	176 (19.0%)	76 (8.2%)	28 (3.0%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (5.6%)	57.6	25^th of 119 public high schools	79.0%		48.2	48^th of 121 public high schools	60.3%	23	68.9	55.6	33.9	$23,416
Arthur R. Gould School--LCYDC	Public	7-12	675 Westbrook Street	South Portland	04106	Cumberland County	Arthur R. Gould School--LCYDC	No	No	No	No	(207) 822-2660	16	11	1.4	68.8%	13 (81.3%)	1 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.3%)								(n/a)
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
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
Cape Elizabeth High School	Public	9-12	345 Ocean House Road	Cape Elizabeth	04107	Cumberland County	Cape Elizabeth Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 799-3309	471	45	10.4	9.8%	419 (89.0%)	3 (0.6%)	22 (4.7%)	10 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.6%)	98.4	1^st of 119 public high schools	99.2%		94.4	2^nd of 121 public high schools	98.3%	1	90.6	91.5	63.6	$29,346
Maine Connections Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	7-12	600 Southborough Dr.	South Portland	04106	Cumberland County	Maine Connections Academy	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(207) 805-3254	504	27	18.6	51.6%	446 (88.5%)	15 (3.0%)	10 (2.0%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.2%)	38.4	62^nd of 119 public high schools	47.9%		53.8	36^th of 121 public high schools	70.2%	26	64.2	28.8	40.2	$11,467
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
Scarborough High School	Public	9-12	11 Municipal Drive	Scarborough	04074	Cumberland County	Scarborough Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 730-5000	903	82	10.9	20.6%	747 (82.7%)	43 (4.8%)	29 (3.2%)	42 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	39 (4.3%)	87.9	7^th of 119 public high schools	94.1%		86.8	5^th of 121 public high schools	95.9%	2	75.2	68.2	60.0	$25,577
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
Westbrook High School	Public	9-12	125 Stroudwater Street	Westbrook	04092	Cumberland County	Westbrook Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 854-0810	719	60	12.0	63.1%	434 (60.4%)	167 (23.2%)	44 (6.1%)	36 (5.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.0%)	35.5	71^st of 119 public high schools	40.3%		18.2	103^rd of 121 public high schools	14.9%	32	54.8	50.3	31.0	$22,417

Frequently Asked Questions about South Portland High School

What schools feed into South Portland High School?

South Portland High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Dora L Small Elementary School
Elementary : Dyer Elementary School
Elementary : Frank I Brown Elementary School
Elementary : James Otis Kaler Elementary School
Elementary : Waldo T Skillin Elementary School

What district is South Portland High School in?

South Portland Public Schools

How many students attend South Portland High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 928 students attended South Portland High School.

Is South Portland High School a good school?

South Portland High School ranks 25^th of 119 Maine high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of South Portland High School?

Students at South Portland High School are 64% White, 19% African American, 8% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

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Schools in South Portland, 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.