This guide brings together what international applicants and their families should know about John Bapst Memorial High School（约翰·巴普斯特纪念高中）, an independent college-preparatory school in Bangor, Maine. Everything below comes from the school’s own website, checked on August 5, 2026, with page-level sources recorded in the fact file. Where the school does not publish a figure, this guide says so plainly instead of inventing one. One boundary worth stating up front: the school’s own claims describe the school itself; they are not evidence for rankings, comparisons with other schools, or industry conclusions.
Who John Bapst Memorial High School Is
John Bapst Memorial High School describes itself on its About page as an independent, college-preparatory school located at 100 Broadway in Bangor, Maine, founded in 1928. Its own numbers: roughly 500 students, about 88 percent American and 12 percent international, drawn from 35 Maine towns and 12 countries. Average core academic class size is 16, with an 11:1 student-to-teacher ratio. The school reports that 90 percent of graduates go on to post-secondary education and that 72 percent of faculty hold advanced degrees.
The school states that the College Board has recognized it as an AP Platinum School, which it calls the highest designation, putting it in the top 7 percent of high schools nationally. That is the school’s own account of its AP standing, not an independent ranking. John Bapst sits within walking distance of downtown Bangor, Maine’s third-largest city, and about 10 minutes from Bangor International Airport (BGR). The campus includes the main school building plus six residence halls in Bangor’s Broadway Historic District, all a short walk from the main building.
Academic Programs at John Bapst Memorial High School
The Academics page of John Bapst Memorial High School lists 19 mathematics courses, from Algebra 1 through Business Finance to AP Calculus, plus language options including Chinese, Spanish, French, and Latin, and coursework in music, art, drama, and computer science. The homepage’s stat cards cite 106 course offerings and 26 AP classes; the International Program page mentions 25 AP courses, so the exact count varies slightly across the school’s own pages and the latest version of the site should be treated as current.
The AP list spans the main subject groups: English Literature & Composition and English Language & Composition; 2-D and 3-D Art & Design and Drawing; Precalculus, Statistics, Calculus AB, and Calculus BC; Chinese, French, Latin, Spanish, and Spanish Literature and Culture; Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Environmental Science; Comparative Government, Human Geography, European History, Psychology, U.S. History, Macroeconomics, and U.S. Government & Politics; and Computer Science A.
Seniors can take part in the Distinguished Graduate Program, choosing one of five areas — Fine Arts, Global Studies, Humanities, Interdisciplinary Studies, or STEM — and completing a mentor-guided project presented in a public forum. The school highlights its STEM program, with students competing in regional events in Boston and national competitions, and its fine arts department with concert and jazz band, chamber and concert orchestra, and several choral ensembles; the drama department stages a fall play and a spring musical each year. Extracurriculars include over 20 interscholastic sports teams (the homepage cites 23, the international page 22) and 38 clubs.
Entry Requirements for International Students at John Bapst
John Bapst Memorial High School states that it is accepting international applications for the 2026-2027 school year and takes a small number of new international students each year, encouraging applicants to apply as early as possible. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until spaces are filled, and the school says admission decisions are made within a week after all documents are received.
The required supporting materials, listed in the downloadable packet for international admissions, are: an English teacher recommendation; school transcripts from the last two years; a parent affidavit of support with proof of financial capability; an authorization for release of educational records; a credit card authorization for the application fee; a bank statement or proof of income; and a photocopy of the passport ID page. Non-native English speakers must submit one recent English proficiency test — the school’s reference scores are Duolingo English Test 70-110, TOEFL 75, IELTS 5.5, SSAT Verbal 550, or iTEP 4. A photo no larger than 2.5 by 3 inches is optional. A Vericant interview service and a required interview (in person or online) are part of the process. The school does not publish its internal review criteria or visa eligibility requirements on the website, so those should be confirmed against the latest official sources.
Tuition, Fees, and Payment at John Bapst Memorial High School
For international students, John Bapst Memorial High School publishes a separate boarding and homestay tuition page. For the 2025-26 school year it lists the full-year cost of the boarding or homestay program at $54,700, which includes tuition, room and board, textbooks, sports participation, English language support (ESL) if needed, local activity fees and local transportation for weekend activities, transport to and from Bangor International Airport and Bangor-area bus stations, college counseling, laundry access, SEVIS and I-20 visa support services, and on-campus residential health support. Not included are personal expenses, test fees (AP, TOEFL, SAT, and similar), non-local school trips during weekends and vacations, health insurance, and pickups from Portland or Boston.
Payment terms: wire transfer is the preferred method with no added fee, while credit card payments carry a convenience fee. The year can be paid in full or in two installments of $27,350 each — the first by July 31 and the second by December 15. A non-refundable enrollment deposit of $3,500 is applied to first-semester tuition rather than charged on top. Additional items: a $100 application fee, waived for applications received before January 30, 2027; $2,595 per year for insurance; and a $1,000 emergency reserve deposit, refunded in full at the end of enrollment. Day-student tuition is a separate track: Maine students from towns with school choice do not pay tuition directly to the school, while new private-pay day students starting in 2025-2026 pay $12,500 plus a $550 annual fee covering activities, books, and athletics. International applicants should follow the boarding tuition page.
Housing and Support After Enrollment at John Bapst
Most international students at John Bapst Memorial High School live in one of the six residence halls. Each room comes with a bed, desk and chair, bookshelf, closet or wardrobe, and dresser; common areas have a TV, refrigerator, microwave, printer, and free laundry. Rooms are mostly doubles, with a few singles and triples. The halls are in the Broadway Historic District, a few minutes’ walk from the main building and from shops, restaurants, the library, and entertainment downtown.
A smaller number of students choose the Homestay Program to live with an American family. The school requires homestay families to provide a private room, arranges a home visit, and runs background checks on adults in the household. Host families receive a monthly $800 stipend, largely to offset food and transportation. Homestay students get breakfast, dinner, and weekend meals from their host family, with lunch provided on campus.
Arrival and logistics: new international students take placement tests on arrival and then build an individual class schedule with their counselors. The school provides free transportation to and from Bangor International Airport; students flying into Portland or Boston arrange their own transport, with Concord Coach buses serving the Bangor route. Residence halls stay open over Thanksgiving, the February winter break, and April spring break, closing only for the Christmas holiday, and meals continue during open breaks at no extra charge. Any student travel requires a permission form submitted from a parent’s email address.
A Few Notes Before Applying
For families weighing John Bapst Memorial High School, three practical points follow from the official pages. First, the rolling admissions process with limited international places means earlier applications are safer; the school recommends applying as early as possible. Second, the $54,700 figure is the school’s listed 2025-26 boarding price — check the latest version of the tuition page, since fees and deadlines can change for the new school year. Third, some claims on the site (AP Platinum status, college acceptances) are the school’s own statements and should be read as such, not as independent rankings. Visa and statutory eligibility are not published on the site, so rely on current official guidance rather than estimates.
If you would like to discuss whether John Bapst Memorial High Schoolfits your child’s situation, or help mapping out the application timeline, you can talk to one of our advisors here.