Baxter Academy for Technology and Science is a public

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

serving grades 9–12 located in

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

. Established in 2013, it is Maine's third charter school. The school is in an urban setting and specializes in STEM (

science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context of ...

) curriculum. Its first senior class graduated in June 2016. Baxter Academy is a college-preparatory high school, promoting student ownership of learning through curriculum focused specifically on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Baxter Academy students study complex, real-world problems, using and building technological tools in a collaborative environment with scientists, engineers and other professionals. Baxter Academy's student and faculty bodies travel from nearly 60 towns across Southern, Central, and Western Maine to access school each day. A local bus company runs five express school bus routes to serve students with longer commutes. The Greater Portland Metro Bus system is another common way for Baxter students to access both the school itself and

Downtown Portland Downtown Portland is the central business district of Portland, Oregon, United States. It is on the west bank of the Willamette River in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and where most of the city's high-rise buildi ...

as a whole. The school also showcases its uniqueness by allowing more individual freedom and self guidance to help students prepare for the real world. One major way this is achieved is by allowing students to go off campus during lunch and become participating members of Portland's economy by shopping and dining during this time. The school also has a unique program known as "Flex Friday", where students or groups of students can organize a long-term project (1–4 years) that relates to their interests and goals while also containing educational value. The Projects are worked on every Friday, all day, when school is in session. Popular projects include

software development Software development is the process of designing and Implementation, implementing a software solution to Computer user satisfaction, satisfy a User (computing), user. The process is more encompassing than Computer programming, programming, wri ...

, robotics, and

internships An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used to practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and g ...

. On March 13, 2020, the school closed its doors amid

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

concerns and increased logistical tension, and switched to a remote learning model. This model was followed throughout the entirety of the 2020–2021 school year, even as many other schools in the area began to reopen and new administrators were appointed. On August 1, 2021, an E-mail was sent to students and staff confirming that the school would return to in-person instruction by September 2021, but with additional

Prevention methods in order to ensure campus safety. Fully in-person graduation ceremonies took place for the classes of 2022 and 2023.

References

External links

* High schools in Portland, Maine Educational institutions established in 2013 2013 establishments in Maine Charter schools in Maine Charter high schools in the United States {{Maine-school-stub