Deering High School

Summary:

Deering High School is a public high school located in Portland, Maine, serving approximately 750 students in grades 9-12. While the school boasts a diverse student population, it has consistently underperformed compared to nearby schools and state averages in academic metrics, graduation rates, and attendance.

Deering High School's student body is more racially diverse than the surrounding schools, with 42.4% White, 34.67% African American, 10.67% Hispanic, and 6.13% Asian students. However, the school's academic performance lags behind, with only 48.36% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts, 31.58% in Mathematics, and 17.09% in Science, all significantly lower than state and district averages. The school's four-year graduation rate has also declined, dropping from 84.4% in 2020-2021 to 66.4% in 2022-2023, much lower than the nearby Scarborough High School and Cape Elizabeth High School.

Deering High School's challenges extend beyond academics, with a high chronic absenteeism rate of 45.4% in the 2022-2023 school year, much higher than the other schools in the Portland Public Schools district. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 54.13%, indicating a higher proportion of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. These factors, combined with the school's declining performance trends, suggest that Deering High School may require targeted interventions and support to improve student outcomes and better serve its diverse student population.

Detail:

Public 9-12

370 Stevens Avenue
Portland, ME 04103

(207) 874-8260

District: Portland Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
118^th of 123 Maine High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $21,088

Feeder schools for Deering High School:

Elementary:	Amanda C Rowe School
	Cliff Island School
	East End Community School
	Gerald E Talbot Community School
	More...
	Harrison Lyseth Elementary School
	Howard C Reiche Community School
	Longfellow School-Portland
	Ocean Avenue
	Peaks Island School
	Presumpscot School
Middle:	King Middle School
	Lincoln Middle School
	Lyman Moore Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.3

Number of students: 750

Racial breakdown:

White:

42.4%

African American:

34.7%

Hispanic:

10.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 54.1%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Deering High School ranks worse than 95.9% of high schools in Maine. It also ranks last among 3 ranked high schools in the Portland Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 9.5. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Deering High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (42.4%), African American (34.7%), Hispanic (10.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 54.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Portland Public Schools District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Deering High School is 12.3, which is the lowest among 3 high schools in the Portland Public Schools District! (See more...)

Compare Deering High School employs 60.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Deering High School is $21,088, which is the highest among 3 high schools in the Portland Public Schools District!

Schooldigger Rankings:

Deering High School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Deering High School 118^th of 123 Maine public high schools. (See Deering High School in the ranking list.)

Portland Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Portland Public Schools 119^th of 177 Maine school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Deering High School

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Rank History for all students at Deering High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile
2010	46.93	50^th	103	51.5%
2011	57.62	41^st	105	61.0%
2012	31.83	74^th	107	30.8%
2013	31.60	81^st	106	23.6%
2015	9.99	79^th	98	19.4%
2016	29.53	80^th	111	27.9%
2017	28.79	83^rd	111	25.2%
2018	43.81	61^st	114	46.5%
2019	31.59	78^th	114	31.6%
2021	27.91	78^th	82	4.9%
2022	0.00	98^th	98	0.0%
2023	9.50	118^th	123	4.1%

See the entire list of Maine High School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Deering High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	23.77	15^th	20	25.0%

See the entire list of Best Maine High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Deering High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	15.57	71^st	76	6.6%

See the entire list of Best Maine High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Deering High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	30.06	61^st	92	33.7%

See the entire list of Best Maine High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Deering High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	25.03	73^rd	92	20.7%

See the entire list of Best Maine High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Deering High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	26.32	1^st	1	0.0%

See the entire list of Best Maine High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Deering High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	91.52	1^st	3	66.7%

See the entire list of Best Maine High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for White students at Deering High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	ME State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	56.52	9^th	21	57.1%
2021	56.79	3^rd	5	40.0%

See the entire list of Best Maine High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Maine Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Maine Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Deering High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1991	0	0	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	963	963
1992	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	960	960
1993	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	1010	1010
1994	934	17	27	5	5	n/a	n/a	0	988
1995	955	9	42	10	5	n/a	n/a	0	1021
1996	955	9	42	10	5	n/a	n/a	0	1021
1997	948	14	49	13	3	n/a	n/a	0	1027
1998	1017	16	49	13	3	n/a	n/a	0	1098
1999	1093	17	41	10	5	n/a	n/a	0	1166
2000	1167	25	46	8	6	n/a	n/a	0	1252
2001	1246	30	59	8	5	n/a	n/a	0	1348
2002	1223	56	59	14	2	n/a	n/a	0	1354
2003	1223	56	59	14	2	n/a	n/a	0	1354
2004	1216	74	58	23	4	n/a	n/a	0	1375
2005	1097	87	76	22	4	n/a	n/a	0	1286
2006	1070	105	84	37	4	n/a	n/a	0	1300
2007	991	113	92	35	6	n/a	n/a	0	1237
2008	974	125	103	42	7	n/a	n/a	0	1251
2009	881	132	107	38	8	n/a	n/a	0	1166
2010	768	153	107	37	5	n/a	n/a	0	1070
2011	707	169	103	38	3	0	0	0	1020
2012	591	191	96	56	2	0	9	0	945
2013	574	194	88	61	1	0	12	0	930
2014	539	224	83	60	0	0	15	0	921
2015	515	265	78	60	1	0	18	0	937
2016	466	276	83	53	1	1	21	0	901
2017	477	280	75	45	1	1	29	0	908
2018	503	264	67	47	1	2	40	0	924
2019	499	263	78	55	3	2	39	0	939
2020	424	247	60	49	2	0	34	0	816
2021	375	232	46	55	3	0	38	0	749
2022	316	239	52	65	6	0	33	0	711
2023	318	260	46	80	4	0	42	0	750

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Deering High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	963	77.1	12.4	n/a
1992	960	71.2	13.4	n/a
1993	1010	72.1	14.0	11.5
1994	988	72.8	13.6	11.3
1995	1021	68.0	15.0	11.2
1996	1021	68.0	15.0	11.2
1997	1027	67.9	15.1	10.5
1998	1098	69.8	15.7	8.7
1999	1166	71.7	16.3	13.5
2000	1252	84.7	14.8	12.7
2001	1348	82.1	16.4	12.9
2002	1354	90.8	14.9	14.5
2003	1354	90.8	14.9	14.5
2004	1375	86.4	15.9	15.9
2005	1286	90.5	14.2	21
2006	1300	90.5	14.4	25.6
2007	1237	94.1	13.1	23.1
2008	1251	89.2	14.0	25.3
2009	1166	82.3	11.3	33
2010	1070	84.9	12.6	40.5
2011	1020	76.9	13.2	46.7
2012	945	64.6	14.6	4.7
2013	930	64.3	14.4	54.6
2014	921	65.4	14.0	56
2015	937	64.0	14.6	63.7
2016	901	67.0	13.4	62.5
2017	908	68.4	13.2	60.7
2018	924	68.1	13.5	60.2
2019	939	66.7	14.0	57.6
2020	816	63.4	12.8	59.8
2021	749	62.3	12.0	59.5
2022	711	56.9	12.4	53.3
2023	750	60.9	12.3	54.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Deering High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1991	963	77.1	12.4	n/a
1992	960	71.2	13.4	n/a
1993	1010	72.1	14.0	11.5
1994	988	72.8	13.6	11.3
1995	1021	68.0	15.0	11.2
1996	1021	68.0	15.0	11.2
1997	1027	67.9	15.1	10.5
1998	1098	69.8	15.7	8.7
1999	1166	71.7	16.3	13.5
2000	1252	84.7	14.8	12.7
2001	1348	82.1	16.4	12.9
2002	1354	90.8	14.9	14.5
2003	1354	90.8	14.9	14.5
2004	1375	86.4	15.9	15.9
2005	1286	90.5	14.2	21
2006	1300	90.5	14.4	25.6
2007	1237	94.1	13.1	23.1
2008	1251	89.2	14.0	25.3
2009	1166	82.3	11.3	33
2010	1070	84.9	12.6	40.5
2011	1020	76.9	13.2	46.7
2012	945	64.6	14.6	4.7
2013	930	64.3	14.4	54.6
2014	921	65.4	14.0	56
2015	937	64.0	14.6	63.7
2016	901	67.0	13.4	62.5
2017	908	68.4	13.2	60.7
2018	924	68.1	13.5	60.2
2019	939	66.7	14.0	57.6
2020	816	63.4	12.8	59.8
2021	749	62.3	12.0	59.5
2022	711	56.9	12.4	53.3
2023	750	60.9	12.3	54.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Deering High School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$14,422
2019	$14,301
2020	$16,689
2021	$00
2022	$20,656
2023	$21,088

Data source: Maine Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Deering High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 78^th of 114 High schools	Ranks 118^th of 123 High schools	27.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	939	750	20.1%
African American	263	260	1.1%
American Indian	3	4	33.3%
Asian	78	46	41%
Hispanic	55	80	45.5%
Pacific Islander	2	0	100%
White	499	318	36.3%
Two or More Races	39	42	7.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	57.6%	54.1%	3.5%

Schools Near Deering High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				MEA English Language Arts (2023)	MEA Mathematics (2023)	MEA Science (2023)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MEA English Language Arts All Grades	MEA Mathematics All Grades	MEA Science All Grades	Total
Deering High School	Public	9-12	370 Stevens Avenue	Portland	04103	Cumberland County	Portland Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 874-8260	750	61	12.3	54.1%	318 (42.4%)	260 (34.7%)	80 (10.7%)	46 (6.1%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (5.6%)	9.5	118^th of 123 public high schools	4.1%		0	98^th of 98 public high schools	0.0%	20	48.4	31.6	17.1	$21,088
Casco Bay High School	Public	9-12	196 Allen Avenue	Portland	04103	Cumberland County	Portland Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 874-8160	382	30	12.8	34.0%	204 (53.4%)	105 (27.5%)	30 (7.9%)	24 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.0%)	48.7	43^rd of 123 public high schools	65.0%		63.8	35^th of 98 public high schools	64.3%	8	69.2	46.3	31.1	$16,387
Baxter Academy for Technical & Sciences	Public, Charter	9-12	185 Lancaster Street	Portland	04101	Cumberland County	Baxter Academy for Technology and Science	Yes	No	No	No	(207) 699-5500	355	26	13.8	16.9%	314 (88.5%)	13 (3.7%)	10 (2.8%)	10 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.3%)	98	1^st of 123 public high schools	99.2%		87.8	5^th of 98 public high schools	94.9%	4			65.6	$14,487
Portland High School	Public	9-12	284 Cumberland AV	Portland	04101	Cumberland County	Portland Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 874-8250	952	69	13.8	32.9%	505 (53.0%)	206 (21.6%)	133 (14.0%)	39 (4.1%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (6.9%)	36.1	73^rd of 123 public high schools	40.7%		26.4	84^th of 98 public high schools	14.3%	11	56.2	46.7	33.6	$17,468
Arthur R. Gould School--LCYDC	Public	7-12	675 Westbrook Street	South Portland	04106	Cumberland County	Arthur R. Gould School--LCYDC	No	No	No	No	(207) 822-2660	9	0	1.5	66.7%	6 (66.7%)	2 (22.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Westbrook High School	Public	9-12	125 Stroudwater Street	Westbrook	04092	Cumberland County	Westbrook Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 854-0810	711	55	12.9	59.2%	468 (65.8%)	133 (18.7%)	35 (4.9%)	42 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	32 (4.5%)	21.3	101^st of 123 public high schools	17.9%		25.4	86^th of 98 public high schools	12.2%	15	55.0	38.9	23.6	$16,063
South Portland High School	Public	9-12	637 Highland Avenue	South Portland	04106	Cumberland County	South Portland Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 767-3266	1,019	76	13.4	26.6%	645 (63.3%)	209 (20.5%)	80 (7.9%)	39 (3.8%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (4.3%)	19.6	107^th of 123 public high schools	13.0%		16.4	92^nd of 98 public high schools	6.1%	15	57.9	29.9	24.4	$16,728
Maine Connections Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	7-12	8 Science Park Road	Scarborough	04074	Cumberland County	Maine Connections Academy	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(207) 805-3254	466	23	20.5	40.8%	417 (89.5%)	11 (2.4%)	9 (1.9%)	5 (1.1%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.1%)	63.7	25^th of 123 public high schools	79.7%		82.3	11^th of 98 public high schools	88.8%	14	78.0	33.3	57.5	$11,444
Falmouth High School	Public	9-12	74 Woodville Road	Falmouth	04105	Cumberland County	Falmouth Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 781-7429	706	65	10.8	3.4%	621 (88.0%)	16 (2.3%)	15 (2.1%)	50 (7.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	89.4	6^th of 123 public high schools	95.1%		72.3	22^nd of 98 public high schools	77.6%	16	72.8	69.2	73.3	$22,141
Scarborough High School	Public	9-12	11 Municipal Drive	Scarborough	04074	Cumberland County	Scarborough Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(207) 730-5000	907	80	11.3	8.2%	790 (87.1%)	49 (5.4%)	13 (1.4%)	50 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	93.9	4^th of 123 public high schools	96.7%		67.6	29^th of 98 public high schools	70.4%	25	83.3	67.4	64.0	$20,630

Frequently Asked Questions about Deering High School

What district is Deering High School in?

Portland Public Schools

What schools feed into Deering High School?

Deering High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Amanda C Rowe School
Elementary : Cliff Island School
Elementary : East End Community School
Elementary : Gerald E Talbot Community School
Elementary : Harrison Lyseth Elementary School
Elementary : Howard C Reiche Community School
Elementary : Longfellow School-Portland
Elementary : Ocean Avenue
Elementary : Peaks Island School
Elementary : Presumpscot School
Middle : King Middle School
Middle : Lincoln Middle School
Middle : Lyman Moore Middle School

Deering High School

Portland Public Schools:

What do you think?

Rank History for Deering High School

Rank History for all students at Deering High School

Rank History for Special Education students at Deering High School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Deering High School

Rank History for Female students at Deering High School

Rank History for Male students at Deering High School

Rank History for Asian students at Deering High School

Rank History for African American students at Deering High School

Rank History for White students at Deering High School

Enrollment information for Deering High School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Deering High School

Student/Teacher Ratio Deering High School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Deering High School

Impact of COVID-19 on Deering High School

Rankings

Student Body

Schools Near Deering High School