What it means to be a Raven

Headmaster Dan McDonough 2014
As you browse our website, or visit our campus, you will note our beautiful location and our rich offerings. I hope you will also get a sense of our community life and the value we place upon it as an equal part of our 3 Rs: Reverence, Respect, and Responsibility

Mr. Daniel McDonough
Headmaster

Daniel McDonough

Headmaster

"As my family and I begin our 32nd year at Portsmouth, it's easy to look back and realize how quickly the School became not just a job, but a home. It's the same feeling a great number of our students have, as the School becomes their home away from home, sometimes to their surprise. As someone who left Portsmouth after three years, and then returned "for one more year" 28 years ago, I can say with assurance that Portsmouth has a way of growing on you." 

Mrs. Corie McDermott Fazzino
Communities don’t just happen; rather, they require individuals to engage honestly and fully in the experience, and our students understand that. I don’t think any school does community quite like the Abbey.

Mrs. Corie McDermott-Fazzino
Director of College Counseling

Mrs. Corie McDermott-Fazzino

Director of College Counseling

“Communities don't just happen; rather, they require individuals to engage honestly and fully in the experience, and our students understand that. As a houseparent, I often observed genuine care and kindness between roommates. As a varsity coach, I am always impressed by how my squash players strike a balance between competitiveness during ladder play and supportiveness as teammates. As an English teacher, I am impressed with how my students embrace seminar discussion and work together to understand the literature. Maybe I'm biased, but I don't think any school does community quite like the Abbey.”

Genevieve Gralton
My experience at Portsmouth Abbey was instrumental in shaping who I am today. The rigorous academics prepared me for a very different academic system in the UK.

Genevieve Gralton
Class of 2009

Genevieve Gralton

Class of 2009

"My experience at Portsmouth Abbey was instrumental in shaping who I am today. The rigorous academics prepared me for a very different academic system in the UK. Outside of studies, my passion for running was born at the Abbey (however, my "runs" are more like leisurely jogs, not the hill sprints in the rain, next to the bay that Mr. McDonough would have us endure). Most importantly, at Portsmouth Abbey, I learned a strong sense of self and the value of true friendship."

Mr. Taylor Esformes
As a teacher, I have always felt that the School trusts me to make my class my own, and that motivates me to really throw myself into every lecture, lab, and demonstration that we do.

Mr. Taylor Esformes
Physics, Asst. Houseparent - St. Martin's, Coach

Mr. Taylor Esformes

Physics, Asst. Houseparent - St. Martins, Coach

"Time never flies by so fast as when we're knee-deep in a complex but fascinating scientific subject, and no moment is so disappointing as when the bell rings to end class. I'm just glad that places like this exist. The world can be a disheartening place, but seeing kids doing their best to uphold the School's mission and make us teachers proud keeps a man from becoming too cynical. Thank God for this place."

525 Acres on Campus

360 Total Students

1.2 Miles of Coastline

25Varsity Teams

7:1 Student:Teacher Ratio

80%Faculty With Advanced Degrees

6Annual Study Abroad Trips

3Plays Performed Each Year

6Visual Arts Courses

78Courses Offered

The Aim of Portsmouth Abbey

Helping young men and women grow in knowledge and grace.

Grounded in the Catholic faith and 1,500-year-old Benedictine intellectual tradition, we foster:

  • Reverence for God and the human person
  • Respect for learning and order 
  • Responsibility for the shared experience of community life

About Portsmouth Abbey

For 90 years, our liberal arts curriculum has been preparing students for lives of significance and purpose.

Part of our mission is to live in a community that values each of its members. This enables students to better understand themselves and the world around them. We celebrate our achievements and we offer help to those in need in an effort to make this a more gracious community.

Securing our Academic Future

Science in the 21st Century at Portsmouth Abbey

Our newest capital campaign features an astounding state-of-the-art science education facility. The new building will feature seven laboratories & seven classrooms, a multi-purpose seminar room, a multi-story commons, and more.

The Abbey Social