Cape Elizabeth High School Guidance Services

 

Welcome to the CEHS Guidance office. We are committed to our students, and help every student to prepare for their academic life and career goals both during and after their high school years. Please read more in our school profile.

During high school, we meet with every student to help them select the classes and schedule that best fits their needs and helps to prepare them for the future. Plans for college and beyond are developed throughout a student's four years. Students are encouraged to visit the office to research and fine tune their plans. Our goal is to help every student identify their interests and reach their potential. For a list of current classes take a look at our Program of Studies. Please review this sample CEHS transcript to assist in planning classes. Classes at the high school change every four days. The rotation schedule, vacations, and half day schedule is available here.

We’re very pleased to offer Guidance programs tailored to the needs of parents in each grade level. You will receive further details in a mailing before the program, but we want you to know the dates so you’ll be able to save them. For 2009-2010 programs, please see:
Guidance Parent Schedule 2009 (09/10/09, pdf)

College Planning - All CEHS seniors, and juniors who would not be missing a class are welcome to meet with representatives from colleges that come to the school to present an overview of their programs, please check the college visits schedule. Check here for the scheduled PSAT and SAT dates. The links to your left will direct you in your college search, choosing a career and major, researching college financing, preparing for admission tests, applying for college and finding summer programs of interest.

School Profile

The Community:A town of 9,000 residents, Cape Elizabeth is located five miles south of Portland, Maine’s largest city.  The community is comprised of people working predominantly in business and the professions.  Ninety percent of our parents are college graduates and fifty percent hold an advanced degree.  The community is strongly committed to education.

The School:Cape Elizabeth High School is a public four-year comprehensive high school of approximately 575 students.  We were awarded the Blue Ribbon High School award by the US Dept of Education and have been included in US News & World Report’s Best American High Schools and Newsweek’s America’s Top High Schools.  There are 63 professional staff members; 71% percent have advanced degrees.  Cape Elizabeth High School is accredited by the New England Association of Schools & Colleges and by the State of Maine.

Groupings:Honors and Advanced Placement courses are for students who have demonstrated high achievement in a particular subject area.  There are fourteen Advanced Placement courses this year: English Language (Junior), English Literature (Senior), Statistics, Calculus AB & BC, French, Spanish, Government, American History, Macro- & Microeconomics, Biology, Physics and Environmental Science. College Preparatory courses are for students who have demonstrated the academic aptitude for admission to a four-year college.

Graduation Requirements and Grading System: Students are required to carry the equivalent of six courses each year and must earn a minimum of 23 Carnegie units to graduate.

Core Curriculum:

Grade Point Average:At the end of Grade 11, a weighted GPA is calculated using an academic core which awards weighted points for grades in AP courses (1.35) and for grades in Honors courses (1.30).  An unweighted GPA is also calculated which includes all grades in all courses.  Both are reported on the transcript.  In lieu of reporting a class rank, we provide GPA ranges.

Grading Scale:
93-100 A- through A+ (High Honors)
85-92 B- through B+ (Honors)
77-84 C- through C+
70-76 D- through D+
69 and below FAIL
 
English 4 years
Social Studies 3 years
Mathematics 3 years
Science 3 years
Technology 1 year
Fine Arts 1 year
Health .5 year
Physical Education
 1 year
   

Athletics: Seventy-five percent of CEHS students participate in the athletic program, comprised of 46 teams, 35 of which are varsity.  Activities include:  FALL- Soccer, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Field Hockey and Girls’ Volleyball.  WINTER – Basketball, Swimming and Diving, Indoor Track, Nordic Skiing, Alpine Skiing and Ice Hockey -  SPRING –  Outdoor Track, Lacrosse, Baseball, Softball and Tennis.  Over the past 20 years CEHS has won over 80 State Championships and over 60 Western Maine Conference Championships. 

Extra Curricular Activities: A high percentage of our students participate in extracurricular activities: Amnesty International, Art Club, Bartleby, BBQ Team, BookTalk, Climbing Club, Dance Club, Digital Music Club, Environmental Club, Film Club, Gay/Straight Alliance, Graduation Committee, Math Team, Mock Trial, Natural Helpers, Operation Smile, Prom Committee, Robotics Team, Safe Passage, Sailing Club, Science Team, Siddartha Project, Speech & Debate Team, Student Advisory Council, Student Rescue, Theatre Council, Volunteer Club, World Affairs Council, Yearbook

Arts: CEHS has an award-winning Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, 3 large Jazz Ensembles
and 3 Jazz Combos, Concert Choir, Select Choir and Treble Choir.  We participate in District, State and National competitions & festivals.  CEHS is a five-time winner of the Berklee College Jazz Festival.  One-half of our students take a visual arts class.  They have won National prizes in art competitions and work has been displayed at the Portland Museum of Art, the Maine College of Art and Federal buildings in Washington, DC.  Our Theatre Program typically produces three shows a year.  Over a hundred students work in all aspects of production in a musical, the One Acts and the Spring Show. We enjoy wide community support and are recognized state-wide for our award-winning, innovative productions.

Class of 2010 unweighted GPA ranges

Post-Secondary Education

Class of 2009 Class Size: 149

Mean SAT scores | C.E.| ME | US
Critical Reading | 564 | 468 | 501
Mathematics | 580 | 467 | 515
Writing | 561 | 455 | 493


Percent Attending
4-year Institutions 89%
1- or 2-year Institutions 5%

2009 National Merit
Commended: 9
Semi-Finalists: 2

2009 AP Tests
AP Equity & Excellence
10th: 18.4%   11th: 27.8%   12th: 36.2%
Graduating Class Summary: 47.7%

AP Scholars – 2009
Scholar – 19
Scholar w/Honor -17
Scholar w/Distinction - 14
National Scholar - 4
GPA

A+ 99-100
A 95-98
A- 93-94
B+ 91-92
B 87-90
B- 85-86
C+ 83-84
C 79-82
C- 77-78
D 70-76
F below 70		 No. of Students

0

11

14

15

47

20

10

11

0

4
1

College Admissions 94% of last year’s graduates entered some form of post-secondary education. 95% of college-bound students are enrolled in four-year colleges.  Last year’s graduates are attending these schools:

Babson College

Full Sail Univ

Oberlin College

U Colorado Boulder

Baran Institute

George Washington Univ

Old Dominion Univ

U Connecticut

Boston Univ

Georgetown Univ

Pace University

U Delaware

Bowdoin College

Guilford College

Pitzer College

U Denver

Brandeis Univ

Hofstra Univ

Quinnipiac College

U Hartford

Brigham Young Univ

Johns Hopkins Univ

Rivier College

U Kentucky

Brown Univ

Keene State College

Roger Williams Univ

U Maine

College of Charleston

Landmark College

Salve Regina Univ

U New England

Calvin College

Lee University

San Bernadino Voc College

U New Hampshire

Canisius College

Liberty Univ

Santa Clara Univ

U Puget Sound

Colby College

Lock Haven U of PA

Scripps College

U Rochester

Colorado Christian Univ

Longwood Univ

Skidmore College

U San Francisco

Curry College

Maine Maritime Academy

Southern ME Comm C

U Southern Maine

Davidson College

Mass Institute of Technlgy

Spa Tech

U Vermont

Eckerd College

Mass Maritime Academy

St. Joseph’s College

Vanderbilt Univ

Elon College

McGill Univ

St. Lawrence Univ

Villanova Univ

Emmanuel College

Middlebury College

Susquehanna College

Virginia Tech

Endicott College

Montana State Univ

Swarthmore College

Washington Univ

Fairfield Univ

Muhlenberg College

Tufts University

West Virginia Univ

Florida State Univ

New York Univ

Tulane University

Wheaton College

Franklin Pierce College

Northeastern Univ

U Bridgeport

William Woods Univ