Portland Public Schools (Maine)

Portland Public Schools is the public school district in Portland, Maine, United States. The district operates eighteen primary and secondary schools. It is the largest and most ethnically diverse school district in Maine, with a student body made up of roughly 49% minorities. The district operates expeditionary learning schools, a vocational school, and elementary, middle, and three high schools (Casco Bay High School, Deering High School, and Portland High School).

Portland Public Schools
Location
353 Cumberland Avenue,
Portland, ME 04101
United States
District information
TypePublic
GradesK-12
Established1733[1]
SuperintendentAaron Townsend and Melea Nalli (interim co-superintendents) [2]
Schools18 (2016–2017)[3]
Budget$103,602,884 (2017–2018)[4]
Students and staff
Students6,739 (2015–2016)[4]
TeachersApproximately 700 (2016–2017)[5]
StaffApproximately 1,300 (2016–2017)[5]
Other information
WebsitePortland Public Schools

Demographics

The school district is the most diverse in the state. In 2021, about 49 percent of the district’s approximately 6,500 students identified as people of color, while about 11 percent of staff do. About one-third of the district’s students come from homes where languages other than English are spoken. More than 60 languages are spoken by the student body. In total, 52 percent of the district’s students are white and 48 percent are students of color. Approximately half of the district's students qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. In 2021, the district received a $25,000 grant from the Barr Foundation to recruit a more diverse staff.[6]

List of schools

Superintendent of Schools: Xavier Botana [2]

Elementary schools (K-5)
A Portland school bus
  • Amanda C. Rowe Elementary School
  • Cliff Island School
  • East End Community School
  • Henry W. Longfellow Elementary School
  • Harrison Lyseth Elementary School
  • Ocean Avenue Elementary School
  • Peaks Island School
  • Presumpscot Elementary School
  • Howard C. Reiche Community School
  • Gerald E. Talbot Community School

Middle schools (6–8)

High schools (9–12)
  • Portland High School, founded in 1821 Portland High School is the second oldest still operating public high school in the United States of America.[7]
  • Deering High School, in 2017 Architectural Digest named Deering High School one of the most beautiful high schools in the United States of America[8]
  • Portland Arts and Technology (PATHS)
  • Casco Bay High School

Former schools

Food service

The Portland Public Schools prepare food at a central kitchen. The school department provides hot lunches for about 2,200 elementary students per day. In 2011, the Portland Public Schools added a daily vegetarian cold lunch option to its school menus. In 2019, the district changed to a daily hot vegan school meal option. The food service director said the vegan options were added to serve the schools' diverse student body.[9]

References
  1. "Our History". www.portlandschools.org.
  2. "Office of the Superintendent". www.portlandschools.org.
  3. "Schools". www.portlandschools.org.
  4. "Budget recommendation" (PDF). www.portlandschools.org. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  5. "Human Resources". www.portlandschools.org.
  6. "PPS Selected for Educator Diversity Program". www.portlandschools.org. November 19, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  7. "Home". phs.portlandschools.org. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  8. Collins, Kate Irish (September 19, 2017). "Deering chosen as one of most beautiful high schools". Press Herald. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  9. Staff, Nick Schroeder, BDN (September 10, 2019). "Move over, square pizza -- School lunch is evolving in Portland. And it's vegan". WGME. Retrieved July 2, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)


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