About
Casco Bay High School is a small and rigorous public high school that reflects the increasing diversity of Portland, Maine. Founded in 2005, CBHS is a school of choice for about 400 students. For three of our first graduating classes, 100% of the graduates were accepted to college. Our aim is for each student to ” Get Smart to Do Good.”
At Casco Bay, we challenge and support our students to become college-ready through our 3Rs:
Rigor
Relevance
Relationships
Expeditionary Learning
CBHS is intentionally small so that we can get to know each student deeply, and so we can better personalize instruction that will help students become their best selves. Our instruction is driven by Learning Expeditions that result in quality work about genuine problems for a real audience. Learning Expeditions are long-term, in-depth studies of a single topic that explore compelling social-justice questions, incorporate vital standards, involve fieldwork, and culminate in an authentic project, product or performance. Casco Bay High School is part of a national cohort of high-achieving, progressive and urban high schools in the EL Education network.
We are proud to once again serve as one of EL Education’s “Mentor Schools” in their national network.
In 2012, we were named one of Maine’s top high schools by US News and World Report.In 2010, we were cited as a “model school” by the International Centerfor Leadership in Education (2010). You can learn more about out student and teachers great work at Edutopia where we were featured as part of their ”Schools that Work” series. In the last several years, our work has been supported by Portland taxpayers, the state of Maine, our Parent Advisory Group and the following foundations: the Nellie Mae Foundation, the Stupksi Foundation, FAME, the White Pine Foundation, the Quimby Family Foundation and LL Bean Charitable Giving. In 2014, we received the $100,000 Larry O'Toole Award for advancing student-centered learning in New England.