Fostering love of learning and commitment to community, Waynflete’s rigorous, student-centered college preparatory curriculum encourages students to assume responsibility for—and to be participants in—their own learning. The school’s relational culture instills confidence and creates a safe environment for students to take risks in their learning. Waynflete students learn to think critically, work collaboratively, and communicate respectfully across differences. One of Waynflete’s guiding tenets is that “diversity is a condition of excellence for our school” (the school strives for a culturally, economically, and geographically diverse student body.) 

Lower, Middle, and Upper School divisions enroll some 580 students in preschool through twelfth grade. Students currently come from more than 50 communities in southern Maine. Waynflete’s main campus is located on six acres in the residential West End neighborhood in Portland, Maine. The school also owns a 35-acre athletic and outdoor education facility situated on the Fore River.

Established in 1957 with roots in predecessor schools dating to 1859, Catlin Gabel School is guided by the philosophy of progressive education. All Catlin Gabel students are educated to engage in a world that is complex, swiftly changing, and culturally diverse. Academic emphasis is on creative and critical thinking rather than information processing. All students engage in community service every year; their growing awareness of their place in the world is fostered by cross-cultural exposure and opportunities for international learning. Catlin Gabel School graduates students who will be effective citizens in a global future.

Catlin Gabel’s Upper School program fosters a lifelong love of learning and prepares students for productive experiences in college and beyond. The program introduces each student to a wide spectrum of scholastic endeavor while encouraging in-depth study in fields of major interest. The Upper School goal is the progressive mastery of the tools of inquiry and expression, understanding of fundamental mathematical and scientific ideas and techniques, active participation in the arts, and development of teamwork and physical coordination through athletics.

Understanding of the learning process has served to deepen the awareness of each pupil as the focus of consideration, be they gifted or in need of remedial assistance. Styles and speed of learning, background influences, and individual interests and needs are taken into account as teachers plan courses, counsel advisees, and work with students. This unwavering commitment, which is core to the school’s mission, has created an educational environment that nurtures all students’ creative gifts and growing intellects.