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Learn about the latest news and events for the Portland Public Schools.
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The Deering Players came out on top at the Maine Drama Festival Class A regionals, held March 8 and 9 at Thornton Academy in Saco. The Deering High School team beat out several local powerhouse schools in the One Act competition with their production of Peter Bloedel’s The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet. The win means the Deering Players are now headed to the Maine Drama Festival State Class A Finals in Rockport later this month.
- Deering High School
- East End Community School
- Portland Public Schools
At its March 5 meeting, the Portland Board of Public Education voted to approve a calendar for the 2024-2025 school year. The first day of school for students in grades 1-12 will be Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024 – the day after the Labor Day holiday. Pre-K and kindergarten students will start on Thursday, Sept. 5. The last day of school for students is expected to be Friday, June 13, 2025. Please note that the last day of school may be subject to change, depending on the number of snow days taken.
- Elementary Schools
- High Schools
- Middle Schools
- Portland Adult Education
- Portland Public Schools
This year marks the Portland Public Schools 10th Annual STEM Expo, which PPS puts on each year in partnership with EnviroLogix.
The STEM Expo features exhibits put on by PPS students, local businesses, postsecondary schools and other organizations. It’s a way to showcase the STEM learning occurring in Portland Public Schools’ classrooms. The Expo also expands students’ STEM knowledge and exposes them to exciting career opportunities in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.The STEM Expo will look different in 2024.
- Elementary Schools
- High Schools
- Middle Schools
- Portland Public Schools
The Portland Public Schools Multilingual & Multicultural Center is thrilled to announce that Rock Around the World is back – for the first time since the pandemic! Tickets to this event are limited! To reserve your ticket(s) and to learn more, please visit www.portlandschools.org/rock!
- Portland Public Schools
Creative artwork from Portland Public Schools students is included in the Portland Museum of Art’s annual Youth Art Month exhibition showcasing the incredible talent of art education programs across Maine. Youth Art Month, a collaboration of the PMA with the Maine Art Education Association that takes place each year in March, also is an opportunity to highlight art educators and the importance of and access to quality art programs.
- Elementary Schools
- High Schools
- Middle Schools
- Portland Public Schools
On March 5, Superintendent Ryan Scallon presented the Portland Board of Public Education with a recommended $161 million budget for the 2024-2025 school year that centers students, invests in schools and is aligned to the district’s emerging strategic plan. This is the first time that the district has presented a comprehensive budget of all revenues and expenses. The budget addresses significant fiscal challenges with strategic reductions and restructuring. It would raise the school portion of the property tax rate by 6.85%, adding just under $16 per month to the annual tax bill of the median-priced home in Portland. This tax rate increase is significantly below the 17.41% that would be necessary to replace all the lost revenue and the increasing expenses that the district faces.
- Elementary Schools
- High Schools
- Middle Schools
- Portland Adult Education
- Portland Public Schools
Deering High School's Trivia Team proudly announces their inaugural Winter Invitational Quiz Bowl Tournament – set to take place on Saturday, March 2, from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Deering High School, located at 370 Stevens Avenue.
- Deering High School
- Portland Public Schools
The community is invited to an enchanted evening of theater arts on Wednesday, March 6, at 6 p.m. when the Deering Players will present “The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet" at the Deering High School Auditorium, located at 370 Stevens Avenue. Deering students will embark on this theatrical journey led by Maine's 2024 Teacher of the Year and Deering Drama Director Joshua Chard, alongside the school’s exceptionally talented audiovisual technician Cory Macgowan.
- High Schools
- Portland Public Schools
"Seeing With New Eyes: Portraits & Poetry," an interdisciplinary exhibit rooted in poetry, social-emotional learning (SEL) and the visual arts, opened at Lyseth Elementary School on Feb. 5. This vibrant and immersive exhibit invites the community to experience students' emotions, experiences with nature, and artistic expression.
- Lyseth Elementary School
- Portland Public Schools
A group of talented young voices at Rowe Elementary School comes together once a week during recess, forming an extraordinary musical chorus led by dedicated music teacher Aidan Boardman. This group has not only become a source of joy for the students, but is now gearing up for a special performance: singing the national anthem at an upcoming Maine Mariners game, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on March 5.
- Portland Public Schools
- Rowe Elementary School
A special ceremony was held at the Portland Expo on Feb. 1 to honor longtime Portland High School educator and public address announcer Pete Gribbin, as the 84-year-old retired from being the “voice of Portland High School.
- Portland High School
- Portland Public Schools
Katie West, the district's experiential learning and environmental literacy coordinator, shared this account and photos of recent outdoor learning at East End Community School that the students joyfully embraced.
- East End Community School
- Portland Public Schools
A student in the groundbreaking cybersecurity program at the Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS) has achieved a significant milestone by passing the CompTIA CySA+ Certification Exam, making him the first PATHS student to accomplish this feat. The program also has an outstanding instructor.
- High Schools
- PATHS
- Portland Public Schools
Joshua Chard, a second- and third-grade looping teacher at East End Community School, was named the 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year last fall. Now he’s starting off the new year by sharing his insights about teaching in a Q&A with the Maine Department of Education. Find out why this veteran educator still loves teaching – one reason is that he gets “to be playful and joyful all day long with a bunch of small people” – and also how being Deering High School’s drama director helps him in the classroom. Learn more.
- East End Community School
- Portland Public Schools
Anonymous donors have given the Foundation for Portland Public Schools (FPPS) a $50,000 matching donation to launch the Ed Feeney Athletics Fund, named after retired Portland High School girls basketball coach Ed Feeney. When Portland Public Schools coaches, teachers, or school social workers learn of a student who lacks basic athletic gear to play sports, the Foundation can now purchase that gear for students.
The Foundation is accepting further donations to the Ed Feeney Athletics Fund to assist even more students. All gifts will be matched dollar for dollar.
- High Schools
- Middle Schools
- Portland Public Schools
Casco Bay High School’s student literary magazine, “The Blue Heron,” has earned a First Class award from the Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) program, run by the National Council of Teachers of English.
- Casco Bay High School
- Portland Public Schools
The Deering High School Debate Team has won 2024 Maine State Speech and Debate Championship! The event was held at Skowhegan Area High School on Jan. 20.
- Deering High School
- Portland Public Schools
Although we’ve had hardly any snow so far this winter, that could change as early as this weekend. That’s why I’m writing to remind you of our snow day plans for this school year, which I first shared at a Board of Public Education meeting in November.
All three PPS middle schools made beautiful music for the community in December, showcasing their hard work and dedication since the start of school.
- Middle Schools
- Portland Public Schools
A student at Deering High School is founding a Kendama Club at Deering – believed to be the first such club at any Maine school – to bring diverse students together through a common hobby. Some eighth-graders at Lyman Moore Middle School are taking over their school’s news, creating a weekly broadcast to provide the student body with entertaining yet informative news about their school.
- Casco Bay High School
- Deering High School
- King Middle School
- Lyman Moore Middle School
- Lyseth Elementary School
- PATHS
- Portland Public Schools
This upcoming Parent University session will offer an overview of the three-lesson fourth-grade health curriculum, which outlines the physical, social, and emotional changes that come in puberty. Also discussed will be why teaching this material is important, and what we can do together to partner to ensure a successful experience for your child
- Elementary Schools
- Portland Public Schools
Here’s a message from the Foundation for Portland Public Schools: “The PPS Multilingual & Multicultural Center put out a request for donations of blankets and pillows for families staying in shelters and other short-term situations. Our friends at Cuddledown answered the call.
- Portland Public Schools
The college aspirations of Casco Bay High School students were on public display on Dec. 15, when CBHS seniors held the school’s 11th annual “College March” down Congress Street to the downtown post office. The entire senior class of nearly 100 students participated, mailing college applications or letters to a significant adult in their life who has supported their educational journey.
- Casco Bay High School
- Portland Public Schools
Deering High School’s accomplished Science Olympians are gearing up for the 10th annual Massachusetts Institute of Technology Science Olympiad Invitational Tournament this month – and are reaching out to the community for fundraising support to help them attend. Set for Saturday, Jan. 20 on the MIT campus, the in-person tournament will feature all 23 Division C national events, showcasing challenging lab and engineering competitions meticulously crafted and overseen by MIT's Science Olympiad alumni
- Deering High School
- Portland Public Schools
The Portland Public Schools is among four school districts and two educational institutions to receive awards totaling nearly $1 million to recruit, train, and retain educators through pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship pilot programs.
- Elementary Schools
- High Schools
- Middle Schools
- Portland Adult Education
- Portland Public Schools
Testimonials
What our alumni have to say about Portland Public Schools.
Portland Public Schools
Fast Facts About Our District
6632
Students
Our students come from a wide variety of culturally rich backgrounds. We believe that learning in diverse groups prepares students to thrive.
53
Languages Spoken
Top 10 most spoken languages in the district includes: English, Somali, Arabic, Lingala, Khmer, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Vietnamese and Kinyarwanda
88%
Graduation Rate
The Portland Public Schools’ goal is that every student will graduate prepared and empowered for college and career.
49%
Free and Reduced Lunch
Free-and-reduced lunch paperwork is low due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal and state funding has enabled every student to receive free meals without requiring income verification.
143.8M
2023-2024 Budget
The voter-approved 2023-2024 school budget balances the needs of the district with the city's fiscal realities. It builds off a theme of “Strengthening Academics, Behavioral Health and Operational Systems.”
1425
Employees
We strive to attract and retain the most talented and diverse staff and are committed to ensuring that our staff members have the skills and support that they need to realize expectations.