Enrollment
850
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Portland, ME
Deering High School
Federal NCES profile for Deering High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 230993000269
👥 S:T ratio 43
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 11
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Deering High School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Maine schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Maine.
- #3 of 4
- high schools in Portland · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.2:1
- large classes for Maine
- 50.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Deering High School has class sizes larger than 92% of Maine schools. Computed live against every Maine school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Deering High School ranks #3 of 4 high schools in Portland, ME.
School address
District: Portland Public Schools · Maine
NCES ID 230993000269 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 11.1:1 Maine avg
+28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.4%
vs 34.0% Maine avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Deering High School compares with Maine and U.S. medians
What stands out at Deering High School
Deering High School is a higher-need, large high school in Portland, Maine, enrolling 850 students.
Class loads run heavy: 14.2:1 is larger than about 92% of Maine schools and 28% above the 11.1:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 50.4% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Maine, bigger than 97% of state schools at 850 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 569 scored Maine schools.
Among 19 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Maine schools statewide, it ranks #18, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (40%) and African American (36%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 13 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 213 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Portland's high schools, it stands alongside Portland High School (912 students): Deering High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.2:1 vs 13.4:1).
Portland Public Schools also operates Portland High School (912 students) and Harrison Lyseth Elem School (489 students) alongside Deering High School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Deering High School compares
Deering High School on the metrics families compare, against Maine and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maine | Maine avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▲ 28% | 11.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.4% | ▲ 48% | 34.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 850 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
850
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
50.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% above the Maine average of 34.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.2:1
students per teacher
- 28% above state mean
Top 92% in Maine - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
35.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$20,442
per pupil, district-wide
- above Maine avg of $20,083
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 213 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
54
in-school suspensions + 38 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 39.9%
African American 36.0%
Hispanic or Latino 12.7%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 5.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 39.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.9, Deering High School is more mixed than the Maine school average of 20.6.
Programs
AP courses offered 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Portland Public Schools, which includes Deering High School.
$20,442
Per student
+2%
vs Maine
Avg $20,083
+23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 68.1%
State 23.3%
Federal 8.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Deering High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Harrison Lyseth Elem School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Amanda C Rowe School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lyman Moore Middle School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Howard C Reiche Community Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Deering High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 912
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 489
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
- Enrollment
- 470
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 470
- Students per teacher
- 9.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 467
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar high schools in Portland
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maine, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~850 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Deering High School's federal record.
- Compare Deering High School against another school. Compare schools
- Portland Public Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Deering High School
How many students attend Deering High School?
Deering High School has 850 students enrolled. It is a high school in Portland, ME.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Deering High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Deering High School is 14.2:1, which is 28% higher than the Maine average of 11.1:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Deering High School?
50.4% of students at Deering High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maine average of 34.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Deering High School?
The largest demographic group at Deering High School is White at 39.9% of enrollment, in Portland, ME. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Deering High School?
Deering High School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Deering High School rank among high schools in Portland?
By Resource Investment Index, Deering High School ranks #3 of 4 high schools in Portland, ME. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Portland on the city page.
Is Deering High School a good school?
Deering High School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Maine schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Maine. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Portland Public Schools?
Besides Deering High School, Portland Public Schools also operates Portland High School (912 students), Harrison Lyseth Elem School (489 students), and Amanda C Rowe School (470 students). See the Portland Public Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.