Baxter Academy for Technology and Science, Portland | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

An amazing school for anyone interested in STEM or just needs a little extra help getting through school. As someone with Asperger’s Syndrome I thoroughly fell into both categories and loved my time here. The teachers are nice and can relate to the students, and everyone is allowed to learn at their own pace. This means that students can pick their classes and can recieve help on exams if need be. In addition the school weeks are truly only 4 days long, with fridays being dedicated to open campus project work that can be done both in-person or remotely, and can relate to almost anyone’s interests or goals. However, there are definitely still some serious administrative and logistical issues here that must be addressed in my opinion for Baxter to remain open. First of all, teacher salaries here are very close to the state minimum and that causes many staff members to leave as southern Maine is quickly becoming unaffordable to them. Additionally, administration in recent years has also become considerably more strict and unwilling to work with staff and students when it comes to impementing changes. This school has had a new principal almost every year since the move to it’s current building. And finally, the school is NOT what it says on the website. As you may be able to tell at this point, this is NOT a preppy or rigorous high school. Your kids will not be wearing uniforms and taking midterms here. In my opinion it’s more of an alternative program, for those students who have big ambitions but just feel like they can’t succeed in a traditional public school. The mission of Baxter is to make learning fun and put the STUDENT in charge of their own learning, rather than the teachers or government. That’s why I found it to be almost the perfect high school for me.

Baxter Academy was a government-sanctioned co-ed private city-center high school with boarding facilities founded several hundred years before the events of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. The school was founded by Izuru Kamukura in order to develop and research the talents of exceptional high school age children known as Ultimates (Super High School Level in Japanese). Unlike a typical high school, the students did not have to participate in entrance exams, but instead were scouted by the school itself as Ultimate experts in their field, with the exception of the Ultimate Lucky Student whose talent was determined by winning a lottery draw.

Prior to being scouted, the students had to have already been attending another high school by requirement, meaning they were at minimum 16 years old. Rather than typical school studies, students of Baxter Academy were encouraged to develop their talents, with a practical exam in September halfway through each school year, where they would be required to demonstrate their ability. These practical exams were judged by dignitaries and experts and widely reported by the media in order to give Hope in the future to the nation, and failure could mean expulsion. Ultimate students who successfully graduated Baxter Academy had the reputation of being guaranteed success in life, with many Baxter’s graduates holding high positions in every field of the professional world.