Portland High School (Maine)

Portland High School is a public secondary school in Portland, Maine (Cumberland County) which educates grades 9–12. The school is part of the Portland Public Schools district.

Portland High School
File:Portland Public logo.png
Location
Portland , Maine USA
Information
Type	Public secondary
Established	1821
School district	Portland Public Schools
Principal	Michael Johnson
Grades	9–12
Number of students	1,100
Mascot	Bulldogs
Accreditation	New England Association of Schools and Colleges
Website	portland.portlandschools.org

Established in 1821 as a boys' school, Portland is the second oldest public high school still operating in the United States, having been the third public high school to be established in the U.S. Joseph Libbey was the principal at the time. 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. [1]

In 1989 a new annex was opened containing an athletic facility, cafeteria, classrooms, and a theater/auditorium. As of 2005, the school principal is Mr. Michael Johnson, and his assistants are Rick Wilson and Lee Crocker. Approximately 1100 students are enrolled each year.

Notable Alumni

• Thomas B. Reed, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives;
• Sewall C. Strout, Federal Court Judge
• Admiral Robert Edwin Peary, Explorer, first to reach the North Pole;
• Rear Admiral Albert Cleaves, the commander of the Cruiser-Transport Force
• John Ford, film director
• Charlotte Royer, filmmaker

External links

• Portland High School profile provided by schooltree.org