Best high schools in the Portland, Maine metro area

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June 26, 2025
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Best high schools in the Portland, Maine metro area

According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 15.5 million students attend public high school every year, and more than 3.76 million are expected to graduate in 2025. However, those students have a wide variety of experiences over the course of their high school careers.

To start, issues surrounding equal educational access persist throughout the United States. A January 2025 report published in Frontiers found that disparities across socioeconomic status, race, gender, and geography can lead to negative outcomes and the perpetuation of systemic barriers.

Outside of these issues, students also pursue many different paths within high school. Roughly 8.3 million high schoolers attend educational programs to prepare for careers in fields like transportation, landscaping, and culinary arts. Meanwhile, nearly 2.5 million are in dual enrollment programs that offer high school and college credit for the same course, allowing students to get a jump on higher education degrees.

Dual enrollment programs are particularly useful considering that more than 3 in 5 (61%) high school graduates head to college, per a 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Unfortunately, high school doesn't always guarantee college success. In 2024, the average SAT score declined for the third straight year, and nearly 2 in 5 (39%) test-takers met or exceeded the test's college readiness benchmarks. ACT scores are also on the decline year over year, down to 19.4 out of 36, and just 3 in 10 students met at least three of the ACT's college readiness benchmarks.

With that said, attending a quality high school will typically help prepare students for their next steps in life, whether that's college, technical school, or going straight into the workforce. Stacker compiled a list of the best high schools in the Portland metro area using data from Niche, which uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. Most of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students.

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#25. Deering High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Portland Public Schools, ME
- Enrollment: 750 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B minus

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#24. Morse High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Regional School Unit No. 01 (MSAD 01), ME
- Enrollment: 610 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B minus

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#23. Windham Christian Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: Windham, ME
- Enrollment: 69 (6:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B minus

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#22. Windham High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Regional School Unit No. 14 (MSAD 14), ME
- Enrollment: 978 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#21. Portland High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Portland Public Schools, ME
- Enrollment: 952 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#20. Gorham High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Gorham Public Schools, ME
- Enrollment: 810 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#19. Chop Point School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Woolwich, ME
- Enrollment: 79 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#18. Kennebunk High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Regional School Unit No. 21 (MSAD 21), ME
- Enrollment: 756 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#17. Baxter Academy for Technology & Science

- School type: Public School
- Location: Portland, ME
- Enrollment: 355 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#16. Greater Portland Christian School

- School type: Private School
- Location: South Portland, ME
- Enrollment: 145 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B

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#15. Brunswick High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Brunswick Public Schools, ME
- Enrollment: 723 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#14. Cheverus High School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Portland, ME
- Enrollment: 361 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#13. Maine Coast Waldorf School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Freeport, ME
- Enrollment: 254 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#12. Freeport High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Regional School Unit No. 05 (MSAD 05), ME
- Enrollment: 620 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#11. Yarmouth High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Yarmouth Schools, ME
- Enrollment: 546 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

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#10. Greely High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Regional School Unit No. 51 (MSAD 51), ME
- Enrollment: 599 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

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#9. Casco Bay High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Portland Public Schools, ME
- Enrollment: 382 (14:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

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#8. Thornton Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: Saco, ME
- Enrollment: 1,571 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

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#7. Scarborough High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Scarborough Public Schools, ME
- Enrollment: 907 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

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#6. Pine Tree Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: Freeport, ME
- Enrollment: 149 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

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#5. Falmouth High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Falmouth Public Schools, ME
- Enrollment: 703 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus

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#4. Cape Elizabeth High School

- School type: Public School
- Location: Cape Elizabeth Public Schools, ME
- Enrollment: 518 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#3. North Yarmouth Academy

- School type: Private School
- Location: Yarmouth, ME
- Enrollment: 391 (7:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#2. Hyde School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Bath, ME
- Enrollment: 155 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

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#1. Waynflete School

- School type: Private School
- Location: Portland, ME
- Enrollment: 565 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A+

This story features data reporting by Rob Powell, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 97 metros.

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