Enrollment
912
Maine · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Portland, ME
Portland High School
Federal NCES profile for Portland High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 230993000284
👥 S:T ratio 46
📚 AP courses 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 6
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Portland High School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Maine schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Maine.
- #4 of 4
- high schools in Portland · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.4:1
- large classes for Maine
- 31.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Portland High School has class sizes larger than 88% of Maine schools. Computed live against every Maine school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Portland High School ranks #4 of 4 high schools in Portland, ME.
School address
District: Portland Public Schools · Maine
NCES ID 230993000284 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
68.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 11.1:1 Maine avg
+21% 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
What stands out at Portland High School
Portland High School is a large high school in Portland, Maine, enrolling 912 students.
Class loads run heavy: 13.4:1 is larger than about 88% of Maine schools and 21% above the 11.1:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 31.3% lands close to the Maine typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Maine, bigger than 98% of state schools at 912 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 569 scored Maine schools.
Among 38 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Maine schools statewide, it ranks #35, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (46%) and African American (31%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 10 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 228 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Portland's high schools, it stands alongside Deering High School (850 students): Portland High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.4:1 vs 14.2:1).
Portland Public Schools also operates Deering High School (850 students) and Harrison Lyseth Elem School (489 students) alongside Portland 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 Portland High School compares
Portland 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 | 13.4:1 | ▲ 21% | 11.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.3% | ▼ 8% | 34.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 912 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
912
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 88% in Maine - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
37.5%
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 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 67.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.1, Portland High School is more mixed than the Maine school average of 20.6.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Portland Public Schools, which includes Portland 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 Portland High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deering High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Harrison Lyseth Elem School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Amanda C Rowe School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lyman Moore Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Howard C Reiche Community Sch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Portland High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 850
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- 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 (~912 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Portland High School's federal record.
- Compare Portland 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 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 13.4:1, which is 21% higher than the Maine average of 11.1:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Portland, ME. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Portland High School?
Portland High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Portland High School rank among high schools in Portland?
By Resource Investment Index, Portland High School ranks #4 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 Portland High School a good school?
Portland High School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% 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 Portland High School, Portland Public Schools also operates Deering High School (850 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.