The top reported proficiency rate is 88% in English language arts. The lowest is 76% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Longfellow School-portland
Longfellow School sits on Stevens Avenue in Portland, serving prekindergarten through fifth grade as part of Portland Public Schools. It is a relatively small elementary school by Portland standards, with a fairly even distribution of students across the early grades. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller groups of Black, multiracial, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is lower than what many Portland schools report. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, so a parent wanting to understand how those populations are served would need to ask the school directly.
The academic results here are strong across the board. On the Maine Through Year Assessment for the most recent school year, Longfellow students showed high proficiency in English language arts, with the large majority of tested students scoring at or above proficiency. Math results were similarly strong, again with a substantial majority proficient or above. Science proficiency, tested only at the upper elementary level, also came in high. Participation rates were near full across all three subjects. These results position Longfellow among the stronger-performing elementary schools in the state on standard state measures. The school did not have multi-year trend data available, so there is no way to read from the provided data whether these results reflect steady performance or recent improvement. Average scale scores were also not reported, which limits a deeper look at how students are performing beyond the proficiency threshold.
Portland itself is Maine's largest city and its economic center, built on a peninsula in Casco Bay. The economy has shifted over recent decades from fishing and manufacturing toward a service-based model, with a nationally recognized food and creative sector. The Old Port district, with its cobblestone streets and converted 19th-century warehouses, anchors the downtown, while residential neighborhoods like Munjoy Hill, Bayside, and India Street have absorbed much of the city's recent growth. Portland is walkable and compact, with active street life that swells in summer. Cultural anchors include the Portland Museum of Art, the Eastern Promenade waterfront park, Thompson's Point concert venue, and the historic State Theatre. The Amtrak Downeaster connects the city to Boston, and Portland International Jetport handles regional air travel.
The housing market around Longfellow is relatively expensive. Typical home values in the school's zip code sit well above both the state and national benchmarks, and rents have been climbing, with year-over-year increases outpacing home value changes. The area's price-to-income ratio is elevated, meaning a family would need a substantial income relative to local earnings to buy a home here. Rents remain somewhat more accessible than buying, but the gap between monthly mortgage costs and rent is notable, with renting coming in cheaper at current rates. Portland's gentrification pressures, publicly reported in connection with the growth of the creative economy, are part of the backdrop for any family considering the neighborhood. Major employers in the city include Unum, Covetrus, and several financial institutions, with neighboring South Portland, Westbrook, and Scarborough hosting IDEXX and WEX. The Port of Portland is the second-largest tonnage seaport in New England.
The school's setting within Portland Public Schools means families have access to the district's broader resources, though the district brief did not surface any recent parent-relevant changes, so there is nothing to report there. No program offerings, course access, staffing, discipline, or attendance data were provided for Longfellow, which leaves a gap in understanding the day-to-day school environment beyond what the test results show. A parent considering Longfellow would get a clear signal of strong academic outcomes from the state assessment data, and would benefit from asking the school about enrichment programming, support services, and classroom structure to round out the picture.
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