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The Foundation for Portland Public Schools (FPPS) is thrilled to announce their new program, the PPS Arts Partnership. The PPS Arts Partnership was designed to support and enhance the curriculum by bringing visiting artists into classrooms over multiple sessions. The program was piloted in seven PPS schools in the 2025-26 school year. This year it will include 16 schools in the district and nine arts groups in the Portland area.

The Portland Public Schools is convening an Equity Advisory Committee for 2026–2027, chaired by Board of Public Education member Micky Bondo. Staff, families, students and community members are invited to apply by the deadline of Sept. 29. The Committee advises the Board and Superintendent on the district's equity priorities — it informs rather than sets policy.

Four Portland Public Schools students have been named as Semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program: Portland High School seniors Beatrice DeVito, Charlotte Knake and Kate Morrison, and Casco Bay High School senior Sebastian Milstein-Jones. The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

The district is continuing to work with the Portland Public Schools community to design a middle school experience where each and every student feels a strong sense of belonging, is challenged and supported academically, and has meaningful learning experiences that prepare them for high school and beyond. Learn about the latest proposed plans and ideas at a Middle School Design Community Engagement session set for Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Lyman Moore Middle School. Childcare will be available.

As the Portland Public Schools enters into the 2026-27 school year, we have made a number of very exciting hires and moves to fill key leadership roles at the district and school levels. We are excited about the experience and energy that these team members will bring to our schools and students. For a detailed list of who’s who at the central and school leadership levels, including what their roles are, please visit the Central Office Staff and School Administration Directory on our website. Here are a few highlights of the leadership changes made over the summer:

Reading to worms from picture books, digging in the dirt and transforming pine cones into bird feeders—all those fun learning activities are part of a unique, nature-based Portland Public Schools summer program helping rising kindergartners and first-graders get ready for school.

Learning at the Portland Public Schools doesn’t take a vacation during the summer. Learning opportunities are taking place to boost students’ confidence, grades and school-readiness. One such opportunity is Wayfinders, a six-week program at Talbot Community School for rising second- through fifth-graders at Talbot and Rowe schools. In partnership with Maine Audubon, Wayfinders uses a nature- and STEM-based program to offer math and reading support and hands-on learning through such activities as arts and crafts, sports, field trips and guest speakers.

Portland Adult Education (PAE) hosted a Workforce Graduation Ceremony on June 24 at Portland High School. The ceremony honored the remarkable achievements of approximately 120 individuals in the Class of 2026 who successfully completed one of PAE’s workforce programs

The Portland Public Schools is operating summer meal sites at 12 locations across the city of Portland this summer. All children and teens 18 years and younger can receive a nutritious meal free of charge to be enjoyed on site. The sites open July 6, 2026.

Twenty Portland Public Schools employees are retiring this year. The retirees were honored by the Portland Board of Public Education and the district in a ceremony on June 9, 2026. Those recognized have served throughout the district and held a wide variety of roles in service of students and families. The school year retirees include a school principal, a social worker, teachers, Food Service members, educational technicians, a secretary and a custodian, among others.

Following the return of election results on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, Superintendent Ryan Scallon and Portland Board of Public Education Chair Sarah Lentz issued a joint statement expressing deep gratitude to city voters and partners for their resounding approval of the Portland Public Schools’ $179.3 million budget for fiscal year 2027. The budget was approved by a margin of more than 3 to 1.

East End Community School held its fifth annual celebration for beloved crossing guard Danny Lowe on June 3. Lowe, a young man with autism, has dedicated himself to helping students get safely across the intersection of North and Walnut streets since 2014. The school has celebrated him each spring, beginning in 2022.

Ellis Wood, valedictorian of the Deering High School Class of 2026, is a college-sponsored National Merit Scholarship winner, making him a National Merit Scholar. Wood is among just five Maine students recently announced as winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by the U.S. colleges and universities they plan to attend. Wood and the other Maine students are part of a select cohort of more than 2,500 National Merit Finalists nationwide to win the college-sponsored scholarships so far. In Wood’s case, he won a National Merit Tufts University Scholarship, which he'll attend this fall.

Casco Bay High School held its 18th graduation exercises on June 4, at Merrill Auditorium. While Casco’s graduates march to the stage to the traditional sounds of “Pomp and Circumstance,” what typically follows at Casco commencements is more unconventional. This year’s ceremony for the Class of 2026 was no exception, with good-natured jokes interspersing heartfelt personal testimonies and graduates jumping up from their seats to dance in the middle of the event.

Deering High School held its 152nd graduation exercises for the Class of 2026 on June 4, at Merrill Auditorium. Highlights of the student-centered morning ceremony included a “global welcome,” during which individual class members welcomed guests in 14 different languages, and heartfelt speeches by a total of five students. Also included were remarks from Superintendent Ryan Scallon and Deering Assistant Principal Carlie Frederick, as well as student musical performances and the presentation of diplomas.

Portland High School, one of the oldest operating public high schools in the United States, held its 205th graduation exercises on June 3 at Merrill Auditorium. The late morning ceremony included several moving tributes to Portland High Principal Sheila Jepson, who is retiring after leading the school for the past 10 years. The event also featured remarks by Superintendent Ryan Scallon, student speeches and musical performances and the presentation of awards and diplomas.