Enrollment
912
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 230993000284
Portland High School — Portland, ME
Federal NCES profile for Portland High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 44
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 6
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Portland Public Schools · Maine
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
68.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 11.3:1 Maine avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.3%
vs 34.0% Maine avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Portland High School compares with Maine and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Portland High School reports 912 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 68.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% above the Maine state mean of 11.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 12% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 31.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 8% below the Maine average and 40% below the national baseline. The school offers 10 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 228 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 37.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Portland Public Schools spends $21,987 per pupil district-wide, below the Maine average of $23,827 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.1% from local sources (property taxes), 23.3% from the state, and 8.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Portland High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Maine state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Maine | Maine avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14:1 | ▲ 24% | 11.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.3% | ▼ 8% | 34.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 912 | top 98% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
31.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 8% below the Maine average of 34.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14:1
students per teacher
— 24% above state mean
Top 91% in Maine — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
37.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$21,987
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maine avg of $23,827
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 228 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 43 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 912 Top 98% in Maine — larger than 2% of 570 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 68.0
Students per teacher 14:1 +24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 31.3% -8% vs state
NCES ID 230993000284
Student demographics
White 46.1%
African American 30.8%
Hispanic or Latino 12.4%
Two or More 6.5%
Asian 4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 46.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 10
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 228:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 37.5%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 43
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Portland Public Schools, which includes Portland High School.
$21,987
Per student
-8%
vs Maine
Avg $23,827
+13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 850
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Enrollment
- 489
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 470
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Enrollment
- 470
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Enrollment
- 467
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
Similar high schools in Portland
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Portland High School
How many students attend Portland High School?
Portland High School has 912 students enrolled. It is a high school in Portland, ME.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Portland High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Portland High School is 14:1, which is 24% higher than the Maine average of 11.3:1 and 12% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Portland High School?
31.3% of students at Portland High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maine average of 34.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Portland High School?
The largest demographic group at Portland High School is White at 46.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Portland, ME.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Portland High School?
Portland High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.