Baxter Bound:
A Freshman Experience
Where you start changes everything. Baxter is built differently, by design.
Baxter Bound is a pilot program for up to 25 incoming 9th graders who are seeking an alternative. It’s a hybrid freshman experience, four days a week learning from home through live, online classes. One day a week of in-person hands-on learning at our Portland campus. Students will have a clear path to join us in-person as a full-time 10th grade student, prepared, connected, and confident.
Tuition-free. Built differently, by design.
What freshman year looks like through Baxter Bound.
Monday through Thursday, students are home in live online classes with experienced Baxter teachers and up to 25 peers. Real instruction. Real conversations. Real work, not recorded lectures or self-paced modules.
Then Friday arrives.
Flex Friday is part of every Baxter education. One day a week is set aside for student-driven, real-world learning that goes beyond any classroom. For Baxter Bound freshmen, it's also the day they come to campus.
The Freshman Flex Friday Experience takes students out into the Greater Portland area to engage with real challenges in their community. Past students have measured water quality at East End Beach, participated on award-winning robotics teams, and made art at the Portland Museum of Art. Back on campus, they write, design, build, and code. They are developing solutions to problems that matter to real people.
By the end of freshman year, they won’t just be ready for in-person, full-time at Baxter. Students will be eager for it.
If you’re a student:
You’re not looking for the ordinary. Neither are we. Baxter Bound was built for students who are curious, driven, and ready for a different high school experience. This is your invitation.
If you’re a parent:
You know your kid is ready for something more and you’ve been thoughtful about how they get there. Baxter Bound meets them where they are today, with a structured path to full-time, in-person at Baxter for their sophomore year.
Flex Friday On Campus
Join us in Portland for weekly experiential learning where students pursue self-directed projects, collaborate on teams, and build skills that go well beyond the classroom.
STEM Curriculum
Real-world problem solving paired with a humanities program that connects ideas across disciplines and cultivates strong communication skills.
Industry Network
Job shadows, industry tours, internships, and real-world inquiries that connect students to professionals regularly beyond the classroom.
Post-Graduation Planning
A full support system to help every student build a plan, whether that's college, a trade program, starting a business, or entering the workforce.
What makes Baxter Bound different?
Flexible by design. Four days remote, one day in person.
Small by design. A group of 25 freshmen. Small enough to matter. Big enough to surprise you.
A real Baxter education. The same academics, industry partnerships, and project-based learning that set Baxter students apart.
Tuition-free. As a public charter high school, Baxter has always been free to attend, and Baxter Bound is no different.
A clear path forward. Sophomore year, full-time, in-person at Baxter, prepared, connected, and confident.
Baxter by the numbers.
Students consistently score above area high schools in math, science, and language arts. They have earned recognition in robotics, cybersecurity, the humanities, and the arts — and work with industry partners across Maine, the country, and the world. Baxter Bound students get all of that. From day one.
Twenty-five spots. One inaugural class.
This is a first for Baxter and for the students who join. If you’ve been looking for a school that meets students where they are and believes in where they’re going, this is it.
Your high school journey starts here, on your terms.
Apply today using our two-step online admissions form. On the Letter of Intent, select the “Baxter Bound” option when applying.