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Portland, Maine - 16 schools
An equity score of 64/100 ranks Portland Public Schools #35 of 131 districts in Maine (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $20,442 per pupil, Portland Public Schools ranks #68 of 203 Maine districts by per-pupil spending (Maine districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
6,476
Total Enrollment
16
Schools
$20,442
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Portland Public Schools operates 16 public schools serving 6,476 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Maine. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 combined, 3 high, 3 middle, 3 elementary schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Cumberland County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $20,442 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 203 Maine districts by per-pupil spending. See how Maine compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 68.1% local, 23.3% state, and 8.7% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 64/100, ranked #35 of 131 in Maine against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 3 of 16 schools offering Advanced Placement (29 AP courses district-wide), a 239.5:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 26.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 54.0% White, 26.7% African American, 9.0% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Deering High School, with a diversity index of 68.9/100.
Its largest campus is Portland High School, enrolling 912 students (14% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Cliff Island School, at 3 students, a 304x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Portland Public Schools school enrollment varies 304× across entities
Portland Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 3 students (lowest) to 912 students (highest), a spread of 909 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Portland Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 240:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Portland Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 26.3% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Portland Public Schools is typically wider than the Portland Public Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Portland Public Schools has 16 schools, including 3 high, 7 combined, 3 middle, 3 elementary. Total enrollment is 6,476 students.
How much does Portland Public Schools spend per student?
Portland Public Schools spends $20,442 per student. The district has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #35 in Maine.
What is the demographic composition of Portland Public Schools?
Portland Public Schools students are 54.0% White, 26.7% African American, 9.0% Hispanic or Latino, 3.8% Asian, averaged across 16 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Portland Public Schools?
Portland Public Schools has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #35 out of 131 districts in Maine.