New Student
Welcome Students, Parents and Guardians in the Class of 2027!
We are thrilled to officially welcome you as a member of the Casco Bay High School Class of 2027! Congratulations. Thank you so much for your interest in our school. We look forward to working with you to become ready for college, career and citizenship. We are eager to help you become the person you want to be and the citizen we need you to be.
There will be several events to help with the transition from middle school to high school this spring and summer, highlighted by a New Student Orientation (5:30-6:30pm) and “Family Crew Night” (6:30-8pm) both on Thursday, May 25th.More details will be forthcoming, but please save this date. Parents and guardians of students in the Class of 2027 are invited to get involved even sooner. Our Parent Advisory Group meets monthly and is open to any CBHS parent. This group advises the principal, promotes parent involvement and helps with securing resources that will improve teaching and learning. Our next meetings are Tuesday, February 7th and Tuesday, March 7th from 5:30-7:00 in our library. Please e-mail me if you would prefer to join over Zoom or if you would like any additional information. Students and parents can keep informed about school news by following us on social media (follow us on Twitter and Instagram @cascobayhs or like us on Facebook) or by reading our periodic newsletters which you will now begin to receive.
Good luck with the rest of your eighth-grade year. There is nothing additional you need to do confirm your spot. Accepted students who do not currently attend a PPS middle school should contact our registrar, Ms. Kouame, to begin the registration process. If you decide to attend another high school, please let us know promptly as we do have a sizable wait list of students for the Class of 2027; if you choose to relinquish your spot, an eighth-grader's parent or guardian should please phone or e-mail Casco Bay High School directly. Otherwise, we look forward to having you as a member of our crew when we launch our four-year learning expedition next September. We have had a remarkably successful first eighteen years, but we know our school is only going to get better – because of you.
Sincerely,
Derek Pierce
Principal
Course Sign-Up Information
We wanted to give you additional information related to courses for 9th graders at Casco Bay High School. Freshmen and sophomores take a core curriculum of six, yearlong courses that enables students to build foundational skills and knowledge in math, science, and the humanities while participating in interdisciplinary learning expeditions. All freshmen and sophomores take math, science, humanities (English and social studies), and crew. In addition, all freshmen take a year of Visual Arts, and all sophomores take a year of integrated health and physical education - Wellness. For a sixth course, 9th and 10th graders can take Chinese, French, Spanish, Academic Language (for EL students) or, for some students with an IEP, Academic Strategies. The typical freshman course load is: Humanities 1 (English), Humanities 1 (Social Studies), Biology, Geometry, Visual Arts, and Freshman Crew (Advisory) – as well as a choice of Spanish 1, Spanish 2, Spanish 3, French 1, French 2, French 3, Chinese 1, Chinese 2, Academic Language 1 or Academic Strategies. We will be reaching out in the coming weeks to get your child’s preference for this sixth course.
CBHS Waitlist Letter
Dear 8th Grade Family:
Thank you so much for your interest in Casco Bay High School. Recently, we held a lottery that included over 140 in-district students for 97 spots in our freshman class. PPS Central Office administrators oversaw the lottery proceedings. We carefully followed the established lottery protocol in an effort to have a process that was fair and transparent. We used a random number generator to determine the initial order, and the process was completed without us viewing any students' names (only student ID numbers and relevant demographics) to help ensure there was no unintentional bias.
Unfortunately, at this time, we can not offer you a spot in the Class of 2027. Your name is among the students on our waitlist. You can find your precise number on the bottom of this page. You still have a chance, however, of being offered a spot at CBHS before school starts September. The lower your number, the better your chance.
High School Assignment Letter
All students should have received the following assignment letter in the mail:
Dear Student and Family,
We are writing to let you know that you have been assigned to Casco Bay High School as a member of the Class of 2027! We look forward to supporting you as you get ready to enter high school. Attached to this letter, you will find a welcome letter from your high school with information about the transition and what to expect before school starts this fall.
If you are currently enrolled in the Portland Public Schools, you do not need to do anything in order to accept your assignment. If you are not currently enrolled in the Portland Public Schools, you will need to complete the registration process. More information can be found in Enrollment.
As a reminder, your assignment is for the duration of the coming school year. Transfers between high schools will not be considered until after the completion of ninth grade.