Type Public secondary Principal Sheila Jepson Grades 9–12 Mascot Bulldog Founded 1821 | Established 1821 Faculty 75 Phone +1 207-874-8250 District Portland Public Schools | |
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School district Portland Public Schools Address 284 Cumberland Ave, Portland, ME 04101, USA | ||
Portland High School is a public high school established in 1821 in Portland, Maine (Cumberland County), which educates grades 9–12. The school is part of the Portland Public Schools district. It is located at 284 Cumberland Avenue in downtown Portland.
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History
Established in 1821 originally as a boys' school, Portland High School claims to be the oldest public high school still operating in the United States; however it is the 15th oldest public high school in the U.S. Joseph Libbey was its first principal. A separate school for girls was added in 1850, and in 1863 the school moved to Cumberland Avenue, its present location. The original school building on that site, which is now the middle wing of the modern school, was originally divided into two by a brick wall running from top to bottom of the building to divide the girls from the boys. Much of the wall has been removed, but its remains can still be seen in the basement. The school was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 23, 1984.
In 1989 a new annex was opened containing more classrooms, a cafeteria, a theater/auditorium (named for John Ford) and an athletic facility.
As of 2011, the school principal is Deborah Migneault and her assistants are Kimberly Wike and Kathy Marquis-Girard. Approximately 1000 students are enrolled each year.
In June 2010, 174 students graduated from Portland High School.
Sports
Portland High School uses the off-campus Fitzpatrick Stadium, Hadlock Field, Portland Expo, and William B. Troubh(Portland Ice Arena) for the school's sporting events.
The Deering High School and Portland High School football teams have played each other each Thanksgiving since 1911, except for 1920.