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School Profile

School And Community

Portland is the largest city in Maine with a population of nearly 70,000. It features industrial and business interests, professional sports, an orchestra, theaters, museums, a busy port and working waterfront, an international jetport, and a lively arts district. One of three public high schools in the city, Portland High is among the oldest public high schools in the nation. Portland High School is a comprehensive four-year school located in the downtown district.

There are 952 students enrolled as of October 2022. One third of our student population is made up of immigrants representing 45 different countries and 36 languages, making Portland High School (PHS) one of the most diverse high schools north of Boston. PHS cultivates the academic, social, emotional and civic skills of every student by fostering a mindset of lifelong learning and inspiring students to become dynamic participants in our local and global community. A Freshman Academy paves the way to academic success through high school, and a robust set of extended learning opportunities and internships are available to all students.

Student Demographics

  • Total Enrollment: 957
  • Class of 2023 size: 280
  • Multilingual Learners: 30.3%
  • Qualify for free/reduced lunch: 41%

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Race-Ethnicity

  • 13% - Hispanic/Latino
  • 6% - Asian
  • 21.5% - Black/African American
  • 52.9% - White
  • 7.33% - American Indian/Alaskan Native/Bi-racial

 
 
 
  
  
 
 

Student Achievement

117 Students Took 209 AP 
Exams

AP Scores 2021-22 

  • Score 5:    16%
  • Score 4:    23%
  • Score 3:    24%

Awards Include: 

  • 16 AP Scholars
  • 5 AP Scholars with Honor
  • 5 AP Scholars with Distinction

Academic Program

The school offers several levels of content area courses including AP, Honors, College and Co-Taught. There is an accelerated math program, called AMP, which culminates with Calculus AB and BC. Some of our students attend the Portland Arts and Technology High School and Portland Ballet. Students are eligible to receive a STEM endorsement and Seal of Biliteracy on their transcripts.

View the Course Catalog

Honors & Advanced Placement 

Honors courses are offered in the following disciplines: English, Math, Social Studies, French, Latin, Spanish, Computer Science, Engineering, Science, Band and Orchestra.

Advanced Placement courses are offered in the following disciplines: English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Calculus AB and BC, Biology, Physics, Statistics, Art: 2D, Art: Drawing, U.S. History, and Psychology. In addition to what our school offers, students are also able to take AP online courses offered through the AP4ME program. AP courses are open enrollment, and all students are required to take the exam.

Dual Learning & Early College

Dual Enrollment options are available for some of the upper level math courses and upper level Latin classes through the following schools: St. Joseph’s College and University of Southern Maine.

Early College opportunities are available to students who wish to take college courses while in high school through the University of Maine System, Southern Maine Community College, and St. Joseph’s College.

Extended Learning Opportunities & Capstones Project

Extended Learning Opportunities, including Internships, are available to all students in grades 10-12. 9% of the Class of 2022 completed at least one internship. 10% of our current Seniors are enrolled in an internship or class mentoring experience.

Capstone Projects require students to engage in deep and meaningful research that answers an essential question developed by them. 100% of the Class of 2022 completed a Capstone Project.

Due to the Coronavirus, classes were held online for all students beginning March 13, 2020 through the end of the 19/20 school year. Fourth quarter grades in 19/20 were labeled as pass or insufficient evidence and final 19/20 numeric grades were awarded based on the higher of the average of quarters 1-3, or quarters 1-4. Grades 10, 11 and 12 continued learning remotely during the 20/21 school year using a 4X4 block schedule. Many students participated in a true hybrid learning schedule from April of 2021 to June 2021. In 21/22, we returned to our standard alternating day schedule, with the majority of our core classes meeting every other day for the full year. For 2022-23, all students are back in the building full time.

Snapshot of the Class of 2022

Class of 2022 Mean SAT Scores 

ERW Math
525 494

Grading Equivalents
A = 93-100
B = 85-92
C = 78-84
D = 70-77
F = 69 And Below

Weighted Grade Scale
Advanced Placement (Ap) = +6
Honors (Hr) = +4

Graduation Requirements

A minimum of 41 Credits distributed as follows:

8 English  6 Math 
6 History 6 Science 
2 Fine Arts 2 Phys.Ed.
1 Health  10 Electives


In addition, students must complete a Capstone Project and a Post Secondary Plan.

CLASS OF 2022: POST SECONDARY PLANS

4-year school 54.7% 2-year school 27.4% Employment 9% Military .5% Other Post Secondary 2% Gap Year 5% Prep School 1.2%

CLASS OF 2022: Matriculations

American University
Bennington College
Boston University
Bryant University
Central Maine Community College
Claremont-McKenna College
Clark University
Colby College
Denison University
Eastern Maine Community College
Emmanuel College
Endicott College
Fordham University
Hobart and William Smith
Howard University
Husson University
Ithaca College
Johnson & Wales University-Providence
MASS College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Merrimack College
Middlebury College
MMC School of Surgical Tech
Morgan State University

New School
Northeastern University
Norwich University
Oberlin College
Paul Mitchell the School-Atlanta
Pennsylvania State University-Schuylkill
Plymouth State University
Quinnipiac University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Simmons University
Southern Maine Community College
Suffolk University
The Landing School
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
The University of Texas at Austin
Thomas College
Trinity College Dublin
Tufts University
United States Naval Academy
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

University of Michigan
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Delaware
University of Maine
University of Massachusetts-Boston
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
University of Miami
University of New England
University of New Hampshire
University of New Haven
University of Oregon
University of Pittsburgh
University of San Francisco
University of South Carolina-Columbia
University of Southern Maine
Univ. of the District of Columbia Community
College
University of Vermont
University of Washington-Seattle
Upper Iowa University
Wentworth Institute of Technology
West Liberty University
Wheaton College