Casco Bay High School

Posted: March 5, 2026

In complete honesty, this school has both its pros and its cons. However, one major issue I want to address is how little teachers motivate students to truly push themselves, especially during freshman year. A common conversation among upperclassmen is how they wish they had tried harder as freshmen, and how little encouragement they received from teachers to go beyond the minimum.

It’s frustrating that lower grades are often treated as impressive when they really shouldn’t be. Instead of challenging students to exceed expectations, the minimum effort is frequently praised. I say this wholeheartedly: students are rarely pushed to reach their full potential.

Additionally, I don’t believe the school adequately prepares students for college. We are often allowed to revise assignments repeatedly, receive honor-level grades on second attempts, and still be considered “above and beyond” even when the work doesn’t truly reflect that level of effort.

While I do agree that this school has a strong sense of community and care for its students and staff, when it comes to academic rigor and preparation for college, I would not recommend it.

Posted: March 5, 2026

Posted: March 5, 2026

Posted: March 5, 2026

Posted: March 5, 2026

Posted: March 5, 2026

Posted: March 5, 2026

Posted: March 5, 2026

Posted: November 26, 2018

In many classes, students had to first submit a draft of an assignment, and then re-do it based on feedback from the teacher. This awareness of the importance of working and re-working developed great study skills, which helped my daughter in college.

Posted: November 26, 2018

Most of the teachers put their whole heart and soul into teaching and really knowing the students. When my daughter was there, the STEM wasn't great, but I hear it's greatly improved. More than most schools, I think the teachers made an effort to really know their students.

Posted: November 26, 2018

This is one of the best things about CBHS. Integrity, compassion, and respect are part of the fabric of life there. Students are required to do quite a bit of public speaking in which they share about themselves. This is great for the speakers as well as for the kids who learn to listen to them. There are lots of team-building activities, such as camping trips and "Junior Journey," which is about a week-long trip in which juniors do community service. The crews break down the student body into diverse subgroups, rather than letting the students divide themselves into culturally obvious groupings.

Posted: November 26, 2018

Derek Pierce is a brilliant leader and a great role model. The teachers are heads of small crews, which are very effective at building a sense of safety and social ease. Students are given a lot of responsibility as members of the community.

Posted: November 26, 2018

The teachers were very good with this. The college counseling wasn't great (but my daughter got into an Ivy League school anyway).

Posted: November 26, 2018

I think the "crew" model is key. The student body is broken down into small crews that they stay in for 2 years, with a teacher as the crew head. This is remarkably effective at preventing cliques (each diverse crew becomes like a family). Also the huge emphasis on team building, public speaking, group projects, and a sense of humor that is cultivated among the student body and faculty all help.

Posted: November 26, 2018

I'm so glad my daughter went there (and she is, too). The humanities were really outstanding, STEM, at the time, not so much. She learned great study skills and great life skills which served her well at a very demanding college. The things CBHS was weak on she could easily get access to elsewhere: kids can enroll in a USM college course (free) when they're juniors and seniors, they can be on Portland HS or Deering HS sports teams, they can take AP classes at these bigger schools too.

Posted: May 19, 2018

Ignore the negative trolling about this school. My daughter went here and was accepted to both Smith and Mt. Holyoke with major scholarship money. The school is brilliantly quirky, stops bullying immediately, and changes lives. Founding Principal Derek Pierce is an educational genius, and I'm not exaggerating. Teachers like Leslie Applebaum are among the best you'll ever find. Portland schools overall are like a private school education, and Casco Bay High is the gem of them all.

Posted: May 19, 2018

Posted: May 19, 2018

Posted: May 19, 2018

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Posted: May 19, 2018

Posted: January 12, 2017

Casco Bay changed my life. Absolutely amazing, diverse community of students who accept & welcome everybody. Teachers genuinely care about your success as a person as well as a student. Expeditionary learning style of academics help engage you in the real world and make you feel like what you're learning matters. The friends I made here (adults & kids) still have my back, to this day. If you don't believe me, go visit it yourself - I guarantee that within the first ten minutes of stepping into the school you will feel the unparalleled amount of love & support that emanates from every member of the community.

Posted: June 21, 2015

Posted: June 21, 2015

This school has no rules, regulations, or college prep. They don't know where there kids are, they don't grade like a high school should,and they're allowed to have late papers. What's the point? The set up is terrible DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILDREN TO GO HERE IF YOU WANT THEM TO HAVE AN EDUCATION AND GO TO COLLEGE!!!!

Posted: June 21, 2015

Posted: October 29, 2012

I was a student at CBHS, and I laughed at how relaxed and inefficient the school system was. Most of the kids I knew skipped class regularly, and rarely got reprimanded. Students would disrespect teachers left and right, and never got punished. In most of my classes, many kids wouldn't turn in homework, or turn it in many weeks late, but ended up getting the same grade as a hard working student who turned in the assignment on time. CBHS is a school for fun, and nothing more. It supposedly builds leadership and integrity, but all I saw was a bunch of teenage slackers getting away with it. Casco Bay High School did not prepare me for college, wherein the rules are much more strict, academically wise. I am sorry to say I regret going there completely.

Posted: November 15, 2010

For the first time in his life, my son actually likes going to school at Casco Bay High School. The inventive, interactive and relevant learning approaches and the caring, attentive environment cannot be beat. The teachers and administrators know kids. They are the most passionate and hardest working professionals you'll find in the business.

Posted: February 14, 2010

Casco Bay High School has been the best educational experience of my child's years in the Portland School District. The foundation of Expeditionary Learning's mission, Rigor-Relevance-Relationship, are taken seriously by every single member of the staff. This is the model for the future and it is producing educated students who believe that they can make a difference in the world. The graduates are recruited to top colleges, even though it's a new school. CBHS is the best choice for students who want school to relevant to their world and their future.

Posted: December 8, 2009

Posted: December 31, 2008