Portland reports high-school preference results; Casco Bay, Deering and Portland assignments released
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Summary
Assistant Superintendent Abdullah Ahmed presented results of the 8th‑grade high‑school preference process and updates on dual‑enrollment and FAFSA support at the Feb. 11 Portland Public Schools board meeting.
Assistant Superintendent Abdullah Ahmed presented the February update on secondary schools to the Portland Public Schools board on Feb. 11, reporting results from this year’s 8th-grade high-school preference process and describing college-credit and family-support activities.
Ahmed said about 105 students were accepted to Casco Bay High School, about 200 to Deering High School and about 169 to Portland High School. He told the board that these starting numbers account for potential moves and that Casco Bay historically begins lottery planning with about 105 seats. Ahmed said the district examined participation by student groups including multilingual/ELL students, students with individualized education programs (IEPs), economically disadvantaged students and students with McKinney‑Vento status.
Ahmed reported the district’s preliminary percentages for incoming ninth-graders at each school: Casco Bay — 27% multilingual/ELL, 15% with IEPs, 56% economically disadvantaged, about 4% McKinney‑Vento; Deering — 24% multilingual/ELL, 17% with IEPs, 53% economically disadvantaged, about 3% McKinney‑Vento; Portland — 25% multilingual/ELL, 18% with IEPs, 53% economically disadvantaged, about 7% McKinney‑Vento. Ahmed noted he had not disaggregated McKinney‑Vento numbers by city of origin and offered to return with more detailed geographic data at a future meeting.
Board members asked operational questions. Member Lina asked whether Casco Bay’s 105 seats reflected an increase and whether the number is fluid; Ahmed said the district typically starts lotteries with about 105 to allow for student movement. Lina also asked for a year‑over‑year comparison; the board requested that Ahmed provide last year’s preference results for comparison in a future report. Vice Chair Bando asked whether McKinney‑Vento students represented students who are homeless within Portland or students living elsewhere; Ahmed said McKinney‑Vento status can include students living in shelters, students temporarily doubled-up with other families, and students who remain enrolled while experiencing homelessness, and that the district did not at that time break the status down by originating municipality.
Ahmed also described college access work: about 34 students participated in the district’s “Spring Ahead” partnership with Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) this term, taking college classes that will appear both on their high school and college transcripts; the district reported about 68 students at one high school and larger counts at others who had early-action/early decision or direct admission to the state college system. He described FAFSA-support nights in January that drew more than 40 parents at each event and said the district provides guidance-staff coaching for families through the application process.
Why it matters: The high‑school preference results shape school staffing, transportation and course planning for the incoming ninth-grade class. Demographic indicators flagged by Ahmed — IEPs, multilingual status, economic disadvantage and McKinney‑Vento status — are used to plan services and supports.
Next steps: Board members asked staff to provide a year‑over‑year comparison of preference results and a demographic breakdown of early‑action/early‑decision college acceptances by race and ethnicity in a follow-up report.
