CMHS School Profile - Academic Year 2008-2009

School and Community

Named for the Irish founder of the Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuley High School was established in 1969 as a result of the merger of St. Joseph’s Academy with the diocesan Cathedral High School.  Located in Portland, McAuley is Maine’s only private, single-sex secondary school.  Catherine McAuley High School offers young women of Portland and neighboring areas an opportunity to engage in a rigorous, comprehensive, college-preparatory program in liberal studies.  Students are accepted to McAuley without regard to race, creed, color, nationality or religion.  Catherine McAuley High School is accredited by the New England Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges, and the State of Maine Department of Education.

Administration and Faculty

The faculty and staff are committed to developing young women of strong character, academic excellence and social integrity.  The school has 41 professional staff.  The teacher/student ratio is 1:9.

Graduation Requirements

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

Requirements
Religion 4
English 4
Mathematics 3
Social Studies 3
Science 3
Foreign Language 3
Fine Arts 1
Physical Education 1
Computer Technology ½
Health ½
Grading system
A = 93 - 100
B = 85 - 92
C = 77 - 84
D = 70 - 76

(PE and Pass/Fail not included in GPA)

Weighting (Reflects only on GPA)
AP: +8
Honors: +5

Curriculum

All academic course offerings are college preparatory.  Honor level courses include English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy/Physiology, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II/Trig., Pre-Calculus, Calculus, World History, US History, Economics, Psychology, and levels II and higher in foreign language.  AP classes include English III and IV, Biology, Calculus, US History, and Government.

Special Features

  • Juniors participate in Career Study Week, a week-long job shadowing experience.
  • Seniors complete Senior Service Week, performing a community service project.
  • Every student at McAuley is required to provide 15 hours of community service each year.
  • The Scholar’s Forum provides opportunities for students to discuss a variety of topics: law, genetics, business, engineering, ethics, etc.
  • The Ethical Leadership Institute presents students with complex, real-life ethical dilemmas through a role-playing methodology.
  • We the People competition is a test of knowledge of the Constitution in the setting of a mock congressional hearing.  The Catherine McAuley High School team placed first in Maine for four consecutive years and therefore represented Maine at the national competition in Washington, D.C.  McAuley won a unit award at the National Level in 2003

Athletics & Extracurricular Activities

A high percentage of McAuley students participate on athletic teams and in extracurricular clubs. 
Our athletic program consists of 20 teams in 11 sports, with club golf being added to our offerings in the fall of 2007.  Recent highlights include championships in Western Maine Class A Basketball and Tennis in 2007, and Cross Country in 2006.  Fifteen extracurricular clubs/teams are active throughout the year.  In 2006 and 2007, the McAuley Limelighter’s One-Act Play earned the Class B Western Maine Championship.  The Limelighters have been the regional champions from 2001 to 2007, and were the State runners-up in 2005.

Testing Profiles

SAT CR Math Writing  
Mcauley 533 536 535 National Merit Commended Scholars: 2
Maine 466 465 457 National Merit Semi-finalists: 1
National (females) 502 515 494  

ACT English Math Reading Science Composite
Mcauley 25.6 24.8 25.1 22.9 24.7
Maine (females) 22.4 22.2 22.9 21.8 22.5
National 20.7 21.0 21.5 21.0 21.2

College Admissions

One hundred percent of the students in the class of 2007 who applied to a four-year college were accepted. Ninety-six percent of the 2007 graduates entered some form of post-secondary education. 

College Acceptances

American International College (MA)
American University (DC)
Amherst College (MA)
Assumption College (MA)
Bard College (NY)
Belmont University (TN)
Bennington College (VT)
Bentley College (MA)
Boston University (MA)
Bowdoin College (ME)
Bowling Green University (OH)
Bryant University (RI)
Bucknell University (PA)
Castleton State College (VT)
Catholic University of America (DC)
Central Maine Community College (ME)
Clark University (MA)
Clarkson University (NY)
Clemson University (SC)
Colby College (ME)
Colby-Sawyer College (NH)
College of the Holy Cross (MA)
Colorado College (CO)
Connecticut College (CT)
Cornell University (NY)
Dalhousie University (NS)
Davidson College (NC)
DeSales University (PA)
Drexel University (PA)
East Carolina University (NC)
Eckerd College (FL)
Emerson College (MA)
Emmanuel College (MA)
Emory University (GA)
Endicott College (MA)
Fairfield University (CT)
Florida Southern University (FL)
Fordham University (NY)
Furman University (SC)
George Mason University (VA)
Gordon College (MA)
Goucher College (MD)		 Green Mountain College (VT)
Guilford College (NC)
Hamilton College (NY)
Hampshire College (MA)
Hartwick College (NY)
Haverford College (PA)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges (NY)
Husson College (ME)
Ithaca College (NY)
Johnson & Wales University (RI)
Lasell College (MA)
Lehigh University (PA)
Lewis & Clark College (OR)
Loyola College in Maryland (MD)
Manhattan College (NY)
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy
   and Health Sciences (MA)
Merrimack College (MA)
Mount Allison University (NB)
Mount Holyoke College (MA)
Muhlenberg College (PA)
New England College (NH)
Newbury College (MA)
Northeastern University
Oberlin College (OH)
Pace University (NY)
Plymouth State University (NH)
Providence College (RI)
Regis College (MA)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY)
Rhodes College (TN)
Rivier College (NH)
Roger Williams University (RI)
Rutgers University (NJ)
Sacred Heart University (CT)
Salve Regina University (RI)
Simmons College (MA)
Smith College (MA)
Southern Maine Community College (ME)
Southern New Hampshire University (NH)
Southern Vermont College (VT)
Spelman College (GA)		 St. Anselm College (NH)
St. Bonaventure University (NY)
St. Joseph’s College (CT)
St. Joseph’s College of Maine (ME)
St. Lawrence University (NY)
St. Michael’s College (VT)
Stanford University (CA)
Stonehill College (MA)
Suffolk University (MA)
Trinity College (CT)
U.S. Military Academy at West Point (NY)
University of Bridgeport (CT)
University of Chicago (IL)
University of Connecticut (CT)
University of Denver (CO)
University of King’s College (NS)
University of Maine (ME)
University of Maine at Augusta (ME)
University of Maine at Farmington (ME)
University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
University of New England (ME)
University of New Hampshire (NH)
University of New Haven (CT)
University of Notre Dame (IN)
University of Portland (OR)
University of Puget Sound (WA)
University of Rochester (NY)
University of San Francisco (CA)
University of Southern Carolina (SC)
University of Southern Maine (ME)
University of Vermont (VT)
University of Virginia (VA)
Villanova University (PA)
Wagner College (NY)
Washington & Jefferson College (PA)
Wells College (NY)
Wheaton College (IL)
Wheaton College (MA)
Wheelock College (MA)
Whittier College (CA)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA)
Xavier University (OH)