79 Devon Street
Portland, ME 04102

Deering high school is a great school. It has had some issues in the past but has, in my experience as a student, consistently progressed in quality and attention to the needs of the students. Although members of the student body can sometimes be rambunctious go over the top (which can be said to some extent about almost all schools), the majority of the students are kind and chill. Deering is a great school with very diverse cultures and community overall.

I am altering my review from a couple of years ago to reflect efforts being made between then and now. The lack of parking is still a problem, but they have been actively trying to streamline the drop-off process to address the issue of kids being late to class due to being stuck in the traffic line. The biggest problem is related to district funding and not prioritizing access to transportation. Those who live within a mile are still not offered school buses in the winter (meaning children as young as five, and often their younger siblings and parents/grandparents walk a mile both ways- even on days deemed too dangerously cold for 15 minutes of outdoor recess). The district definitely needs to step up and deal with its transportation problems, but I recognize that Hall School probably has little say in that. Considering the need for adequate funding, and the great diversity of needs of the children at Hall Elementary, they do a great job of working with individual students. The teachers are very high quality, and the principal is very friendly and helpful.

Both of my children went to Reiche. I don't usually post reviews online, but after seeing the horrible rating on this site, I felt compelled. The teachers are incredible: hardworking, intelligent, creative, and caring. They are so good at building community in an amazingly diverse school for Maine. The international potluck will rock your tastebuds and the talent show will have you weepy at least once. I am a teacher in one of the rich suburban schools nearby and am so glad my kids went to Reiche!

Most of the teachers are great and care about the students and there are sufficient supports for students with different learning abilities. From an administrative point of view, it seems to be controlled chaos and unchecked bullying.

My son is a student at PHS and is receiving an excellent education. He is being challenged and has an extensive selection of STEM electives to choose from. AP classes senior year offer courses at local colleges. As a violinist, he finds the orchestra a great group with exceptional instruction. Sports are competitive with a strong emphasis on true sportsman/woman ship and teamwork. The diversity makes for a rich experience. Highly recommend.

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.