South Portland Public Schools

Public school district · Cumberland County · Maine · NCES district ID 2312330

South Portland Public Schools spent $18,364 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 56% of the other Maine districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $17,843). Its 6 schools enrolled 2,009 students in 2024-25; 21.6% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $21,434 per student, up 16.7% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 89% (Maine: 87.3%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Maine's largest districts

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. Among the 10 districts shown, South Portland Public Schools ranks 4.

Current spending per student, largest Maine districts, FY23Portland Public Schools $21,356; Lewiston Public Schools $19,006; Rsu 14 $18,374; South Portland Public Schools $18,364; Bangor Public Schools $17,728; Rsu 06/Msad 06 $17,630; Sanford Public Schools $17,579; Rsu 57/Msad 57 $15,891; Rsu 17/Msad 17 $14,949; Auburn Public Schools $14,797; State median, 1,000+ students $17,843.12.5k15k17.5k20k22.5kPortland Public Schools$21,356Lewiston Public Schools$19,006Rsu 14$18,374South Portland Public Schools$18,364Bangor Public Schools$17,728Rsu 06/Msad 06$17,630Sanford Public Schools$17,579Rsu 57/Msad 57$15,891Rsu 17/Msad 17$14,949Auburn Public Schools$14,797State median, 1,000+ students $17,843
Current spending per student, largest Maine districts, FY23Portland Public Schools $21,356; Lewiston Public Schools $19,006; Rsu 14 $18,374; South Portland Public Schools $18,364; Bangor Public Schools $17,728; Rsu 06/Msad 06 $17,630; Sanford Public Schools $17,579; Rsu 57/Msad 57 $15,891; Rsu 17/Msad 17 $14,949; Auburn Public Schools $14,797; State median, 1,000+ students $17,843.12.5k15k17.5k20k22.5kPortland Public Schools$21,356Lewiston Public Schools$19,006Rsu 14$18,374South Portland Public Schools$18,364Bangor Public Schools$17,728Rsu 06/Msad 06$17,630Sanford Public Schools$17,579Rsu 57/Msad 57$15,891Rsu 17/Msad 17$14,949Auburn Public Schools$14,797State median, 1,000+ students $17,843
Current spending per student, largest Maine districts, FY23Portland Public Schools $21,356; Lewiston Public Schools $19,006; Rsu 14 $18,374; South Portland Public Schools $18,364; Bangor Public Schools $17,728; Rsu 06/Msad 06 $17,630; Sanford Public Schools $17,579; Rsu 57/Msad 57 $15,891; Rsu 17/Msad 17 $14,949; Auburn Public Schools $14,797; State median, 1,000+ students $17,843.12.5k17.5k22.5kPortland Public Schools$21,356Lewiston Public Schools$19,006Rsu 14$18,374South Portland Public Schools$18,364Bangor Public Schools$17,728Rsu 06/Msad 06$17,630Sanford Public Schools$17,579Rsu 57/Msad 57$15,891Rsu 17/Msad 17$14,949Auburn Public Schools$14,797State median, 1,000+ students $17,843
Current spending per student, largest Maine districts, FY23Portland Public Schools $21,356; Lewiston Public Schools $19,006; Rsu 14 $18,374; South Portland Public Schools $18,364; Bangor Public Schools $17,728; Rsu 06/Msad 06 $17,630; Sanford Public Schools $17,579; Rsu 57/Msad 57 $15,891; Rsu 17/Msad 17 $14,949; Auburn Public Schools $14,797; State median, 1,000+ students $17,843.12.5k17.5k22.5kPortland Public Schools$21,356Lewiston Public Schools$19,006Rsu 14$18,374South Portland Public Schools$18,364Bangor Public Schools$17,728Rsu 06/Msad 06$17,630Sanford Public Schools$17,579Rsu 57/Msad 57$15,891Rsu 17/Msad 17$14,949Auburn Public Schools$14,797State median, 1,000+ students $17,843

Where the money came from

$63,984,000 in revenue: 21.6% state, 75.6% local and 2.8% federal. Total spending including $31,096,000 of capital outlay was $91,490,000, or $29,695 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

South Portland Public Schools revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $13,848,000; Local $48,365,000; Federal $1,771,000; total $63,984,000.
  • State$13,848,000 22%
  • Local$48,365,000 76%
  • Federal$1,771,000 3%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 63 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

3,081 students in 2022-23, 2,123 students in 2023-24, 2,009 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

South Portland Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,081, 2023-24: 2,123, 2024-25: 2,00901k2k3k4k2022-233,0812023-242,1232024-252,009
South Portland Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,081, 2023-24: 2,123, 2024-25: 2,00901k2k3k4k2022-233,0812023-242,1232024-252,009
South Portland Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,081, 2023-24: 2,123, 2024-25: 2,00901k2k3k4k2022-233,0812023-242,1232024-252,009
South Portland Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 3,081, 2023-24: 2,123, 2024-25: 2,00901k2k3k4k2022-233,0812023-242,1232024-252,009

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-233,081271.011.4
2023-242,123196.110.8
2024-252,009196.310.2

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$19,832,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $6,437 per student

South Portland Public Schools booked $19,832,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 271 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $73,148 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 87 in 100 Maine districts with a figure (state median $60,073, 173 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Maine teacher salary at $58,757 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$15,373,00077.5%
Special education$2,994,00015.1%
Other programs$1,465,0007.4%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $5,613 in 2018-19, $5,872 in 2019-20, $6,262 in 2020-21, $5,134 in 2021-22, $6,437 in 2022-23.

South Portland Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $5,613, 2019-20: $5,872, 2020-21: $6,262, 2021-22: $5,134, 2022-23: $6,43702k4k6k8k2018-19$5,6132019-20$5,8722020-21$6,2622021-22$5,1342022-23$6,437
South Portland Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $5,613, 2019-20: $5,872, 2020-21: $6,262, 2021-22: $5,134, 2022-23: $6,43702k4k6k8k2018-19$5,6132019-20$5,8722020-21$6,2622021-22$5,1342022-23$6,437
South Portland Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $5,613, 2019-20: $5,872, 2020-21: $6,262, 2021-22: $5,134, 2022-23: $6,43702k4k6k8k2018-19$5,6132019-20$5,8722020-21$6,2622021-22$5,1342022-23$6,437
South Portland Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $5,613, 2019-20: $5,872, 2020-21: $6,262, 2021-22: $5,134, 2022-23: $6,43702k4k6k8k2018-19$5,6132019-20$5,8722020-21$6,2622021-22$5,1342022-23$6,437

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in South Portland Public Schools scored proficient or above: 84% in reading and 77% in math, against 84.1% in reading and 81.5% in math across Maine. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Maine, not across states.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtMaineStudents tested
Reading and language arts84%84.1%1,500
Math77%81.5%1,510

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

89% of the 231 students in South Portland Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 87.3% across Maine. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtMaine
Four-year graduation rate89%87.3%
Students in the class23113,941

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

5 elementary schools, 1,081 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Waldo T Skillin Elementary School3029.449.0%Schoolwide program
Frank I Brown Elementary School21310.426.8%Not Title I
Dyer Elementary School1949.618.0%Not Title I
Dora L Small Elementary School1939.425.4%Not Title I
James Otis Kaler Elementary School1798.152.0%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 high school, 928 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
South Portland High School92811.535.3%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

2 more schools on file: small, closed or in an earlier directory

These records carry fewer federal fields than a full school page needs, so each is summarized here with what NCES reports.

Daniel F. Mahoney Middle School

Elementary school in South Portland; 424 students; 11.6 students per teacher.

Memorial Middle School

Middle school in South Portland; 388 students; 9.9 students per teacher.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and earlier directories: the last year each school was listed, its students and its teachers.

Contact South Portland Public Schools

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about South Portland Public Schools

  1. Maine districts by spending per studentSouth Portland Public Schools ranks 28 of 63 Maine districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($18,364).#28 of 63
  2. Every school district in MaineSouth Portland Public Schools is the number 9 by size of 234 Maine districts, with 3,081 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#9 of 234
  3. Rsu 14The next larger Maine district: 3,155 students in fall 2022, $18,374 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,374
  4. Rsu 57/Msad 57The next smaller Maine district: 2,924 students in fall 2022, $15,891 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$15,891
  5. Compare South Portland Public Schools with Rsu 14Enrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. South Portland High School, its largest high school928 students in 2024-25, 11.5 per teacher.928
  7. Teacher salary spending across MaineSouth Portland Public Schools spent $73,148 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $60,073); spending, not a salary.$73,148
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about South Portland Public Schools

  1. How many schools and students are in South Portland Public Schools?
    6 schools were open in 2024-25 (5 elementary, 1 high), enrolling 2,009 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does South Portland Public Schools spend per student?
    $18,364 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Maine median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $17,843 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $21,434 per student, up 16.7% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does South Portland Public Schools' money come from?
    $63,984,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 21.6% state, 75.6% local and 2.8% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in South Portland Public Schools live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 327 of the 3,229 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 10.1%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does South Portland Public Schools spend on teacher salaries?
    $19,832,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $6,437 per student. Divided by the 271 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $73,148 per teacher, more than 87 in 100 Maine districts (state median $60,073). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Maine teacher salary at $58,757 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in South Portland Public Schools do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in South Portland Public Schools scored proficient or above: 84% in reading and 77% in math, against 84.1% in reading and 81.5% in math across Maine. Maine's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in South Portland Public Schools?
    89% of the 231 students in South Portland Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 87.3% across Maine. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is South Portland Public Schools' NCES district ID?
    2312330. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .