SOUTH PORTLAND

The City of South Portland is a coastal community in southern Maine. The city has been referred to as two cities, with the western half of the city hosting commercial, industrial and advanced technology property and the eastern half of the city sporting a community college, a beach area, several parks, one of the State’s largest marinas, a municipal boat ramp, a maritime museum and the second busiest oil port on the entire East Coast.

Prior to World War II South Portland was a residential community that broke away from Cape Elizabeth in 1895. The city was pretty quiet until a shipyard was established in 1940 to build cargo ships for Great Britain. When the United States became involved with World War II the shipyard expanded and turned out 236 of the 440 foot long Liberty Ships, more than 10 percent of all the Liberty ships built during the war years. The shipyard gradually ceased operations after the war ended in 1945. The city remained relatively quiet until the mid 1960’s when consideration was given to develop a piece of land on the west end of the city. Recognizing the location as having a healthy economic future, the city purchased 137 acres from Dwyer’s pig farm in anticipation of the Interstate 295 spur through Portland and South Portland that would be linking with the turnpike just south of the farm, with the added advantage of the close proximity of the Portland International Jetport (the runway is actually located in South Portland). When a developer came to the area looking for a likely spot for a shopping center, South Portland was chosen over Portland, Scarborough and Falmouth. As a result, the Maine Mall opened its first twenty stores to crowds of shoppers in August 1971. In the last 30 years the Maine Mall area has evolved from farmland into the largest retail, commercial, and office complex north of Boston.

The Parks and Recreation Department provides services, which improve the quality of life for the residents, and creates a very active sense of community. The Parks Department maintains a nine-hole Municipal Golf course, 525 acres of parkland (of which 300 are actively maintained), a municipal beach and over 8 miles of walking trails. The Recreation Division oversees a municipal swimming pool and a new community center. Six-week summer recreation camps provide several hundred children the opportunity to stay active and social through out the summer. Seniors have many opportunities to gather at the community center for a lunch, bingo, walking on the indoor track and also enjoy many other activities. South Portland places tremendous value on recreational sports and activities.  

Essentials-
City Hall: 207-767-3201
25 Cottage Rd, South Portland, ME 04106

School Department: 207-871-0555
130 Westcott Rd, South Portland, ME 04106

School Information-
Population:
Elementary School: 272
Middle School: 354
High School: 1047

Student to Teacher Ratio:
Elementary School: 17
Middle School: 11
High School: 12

8th Grade MEA Testing:
*Percentage Meeting or Exceeding Standards
Reading: 73
Science: 64
Math: 51

11th Grade SAT Testing:
*Percentage Meeting or Exceeding Standards
Writing: 51
Critical Reading: 44
Math: 51

Biddeford
Buxton
Cape Elizabeth
Gorham
Greater Portland
Old Orchard Beach
Portland
Saco
Scarborough
South Portland
Westbrook

Maine Dept. of Ed School Profiles