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Brien McMahon High School

Q: Is Brien McMahon High School a good school?

Brien McMahon High School ranks 74 th of 141 Connecticut high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

74^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 141 Connecticut High Schools

Better than 48% of Connecticut high schools

Summary

Brien McMahon High School is a public high school located in Norwalk, Connecticut, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,766 students. The school is part of the Norwalk School District, which is ranked 118 out of 156 districts in Connecticut and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Brien McMahon High School faces challenges, with test scores and proficiency rates consistently below state and district averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 53.3% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in SAT/English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 58% and the district average of 54.5%. In SAT/Math, only 26.4% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better, compared to the state average of 31.1% and the district average of 26.9%. The school's performance in NGSS/Science is also below the state and district averages, with only 31.7% of 11th-grade students being proficient or better, compared to the state average of 47.7% and the district average of 32.6%. Additionally, the school has a relatively high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 17.7% to 35.4% in recent years, which is higher than the state and district averages.

Compared to nearby schools, Brien McMahon High School performs similarly to Norwalk High School, with both schools ranking in the lower half of Connecticut high schools and having comparable academic performance and graduation rates. However, the Center for Global Studies, a magnet school within the Norwalk School District, significantly outperforms Brien McMahon High School in academic measures, ranking much higher among Connecticut high schools and having higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Math, and Science. Additionally, Staples High School in Westport and New Canaan High School are consistently ranked among the top high schools in Connecticut, with significantly higher academic performance and graduation rates than Brien McMahon High School.

1,739

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,512

Per pupil spending ?

50%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 Highland Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06854

(203) 852-9488

District: Norwalk School District

Feeder schools for Brien McMahon High School:

Elementary:	Brookside Elementary School
	Fox Run Elementary School
	Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School
	Kendall College & Career Academy
	More...
	Rowayton School
Middle:	Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy
	Roton Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

61.9%

White:

18.6%

African American:

12.9%

See top rated Connecticut high schools

Compare Brien McMahon High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 27th percentile in 2015 → 48th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 21 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Connecticut average (37% vs 46% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 17% Connecticut)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg38%

Connecticut avg46%

74^th of 141

Connecticut public high schools ?

Bottom 48%▲ up 21 pts since 2015

From bottom 27% (2015) to bottom 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4High Schools in the Norwalk School District

118^th of 156Norwalk School District among Connecticut districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	36.5	74 of 141	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.7	98 of 145	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.8	96 of 142	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.8	84 of 139	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.1	105 of 200	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.6	85 of 121	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.4	97 of 121	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	25.4	104 of 140	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	43.0	72 of 132	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	33.5	144 of 196	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	47.1	133 of 193	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	39.2	138 of 188	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	43.8	131 of 189	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.0	127 of 186	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	34.9	137 of 176	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	44.9	127 of 176	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	47.7	126 of 176	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2023	49.8	14 of 25	44.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.9	35 of 58	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.0	7 of 13	46.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.7	7 of 11	36.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2022	0.0	11 of 17	35.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	27.3	72 of 104	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.7	74 of 102	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.5	82 of 103	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.7	75 of 106	29.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.4	117 of 189	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.9	71 of 84	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.4	70 of 79	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	51.9	22 of 63	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.0	32 of 63	49.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	27.0	49 of 63	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.0	24 of 59	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.2	29 of 104	72.1%	★★★★☆
2019	70.3	6 of 20	70.0%	★★★★☆
2018	49.5	6 of 18	66.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	42.4	35 of 70	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	22.2	57 of 65	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.1	55 of 70	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.9	43 of 63	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.8	71 of 155	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.3	17 of 37	54.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	34.4	69 of 111	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.6	83 of 100	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.6	71 of 100	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	73 of 102	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	56.3	88 of 182	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	25.6	71 of 80	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.0	71 of 78	9.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2021	52.0	83 of 175	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	21.7	4 of 13	69.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2025	67.4	38 of 116	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.0	28 of 116	75.9%	★★★★☆
2023	47.0	66 of 116	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.0	55 of 117	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.4	46 of 155	70.3%	★★★★☆
2019	55.9	56 of 113	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.2	59 of 105	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

White (2025)67th percentile+20 vs school

Hispanic (2025)65th percentile+18 vs school

Special Education (2021)53rd percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)50th percentile~ school

African American (2023)44th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)38th percentile-10 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)35th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2025)31st percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts53%-5 vs state

Science32%-16 vs state

Math26%-5 vs state

3.7

3 ratings · 1 written review

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Monday, November 19, 2012

The school has excellent diversity, and the students are hardworking Close Quote

Schools Near Brien McMahon High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NGSS Science (2025)	SAT English Language Arts (2025)	SAT Math (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NGSS Science 11th Grade	SAT English Language Arts 11th Grade	SAT Math 11th Grade	Total
Brien McMahon High School	Public	9-12	300 Highland Avenue	Norwalk	06854	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Norwalk School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 852-9488	1,739	118	14.6	50.0%	323 (18.6%)	225 (12.9%)	1,076 (61.9%)	68 (3.9%)	6 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	34 (2.0%)	36.5	74^th of 141 public high schools	47.5%		27.7	98^th of 145 public high schools	32.4%	24	31.7	53.3	26.4	$20,512
Center for Global Studies	Public, Magnet	9-12	300 Highland Avenue	Norwalk	06854	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Norwalk School District	No	Yes	No	No	(203) 852-9488	283	30	9.3	36.0%	89 (31.4%)	39 (13.8%)	112 (39.6%)	21 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.4%)	68.1	47^th of 141 public high schools	66.7%		80.6	26^th of 145 public high schools	82.1%	21	60.0	73.8	30.8	$23,844
Darien High School	Public	9-12	80 High School Ln.	Darien	06820	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Darien School District	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 655-3981	1,382	129	10.7	3.9%	1,113 (80.5%)	15 (1.1%)	121 (8.8%)	81 (5.9%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	48 (3.5%)	96	3^rd of 141 public high schools	97.9%		95.3	6^th of 145 public high schools	95.9%	3	78.3	94.3	78.6	$27,152
Norwalk High School	Public	9-12	23 Calvin Murphy Drive	Norwalk	06851	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Norwalk School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 838-4481	1,494	105	14.2	50.9%	332 (22.2%)	222 (14.9%)	883 (59.1%)	28 (1.9%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (1.6%)	33.2	82^nd of 141 public high schools	41.8%		25.8	103^rd of 145 public high schools	29.0%	21	30.2	50.2	25.4	$22,371
P-Technical Norwalk	Public	9-12	23 Calvin Murphy Drive	Norwalk	06851	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Norwalk School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 838-4481	388	37	10.4	51.8%	79 (20.4%)	60 (15.5%)	204 (52.6%)	35 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.3%)	45.5	66^th of 141 public high schools	53.2%		52.8	69^th of 145 public high schools	52.4%	3	26.7	62.5	34.1	$18,075
New Canaan High School	Public	9-12	11 Farm Rd.	New Canaan	06840	Western Connecticut Planning Region	New Canaan School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 594-4600	1,257	102	12.2	0.2%	980 (78.0%)	19 (1.5%)	92 (7.3%)	110 (8.8%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	52 (4.1%)	96.4	1^st of 141 public high schools	99.3%		96.7	1^st of 145 public high schools	99.3%		83.1	92.5	74.9	$29,069
Stamford High School	Public	9-12	55 Strawberry Hill Ave.	Stamford	06902	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Stamford School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 977-4223	2,102	149	14.0	53.6%	510 (24.3%)	394 (18.7%)	1,042 (49.6%)	92 (4.4%)	2 (0.1%)	3 (0.1%)	57 (2.7%)	32.9	83^rd of 141 public high schools	41.1%		38.6	80^th of 145 public high schools	44.8%	3	30.6	51.1	24.2	$20,721
The Academy of Information Technology & Engineering	Public, Magnet	9-12	411 High Ridge Rd.	Stamford	06905	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Stamford School District	No	Yes	No	No	(203) 977-4336	658	43	15.2	48.2%	164 (24.9%)	97 (14.7%)	301 (45.7%)	71 (10.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.3%)	66.1	48^th of 141 public high schools	66.0%		56.5	65^th of 145 public high schools	55.2%	17	50.9	73.3	35.2	$20,654
J. M. Wright Technical High School	Public	9-12	120 Bridge St.	Stamford	06905	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System	No	No	No	Yes	(203) 324-7363	494	44	11.2	59.9%	51 (10.3%)	72 (14.6%)	354 (71.7%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.2%)	10.6	130^th of 141 public high schools	7.8%		7.4	136^th of 145 public high schools	6.2%	6	22.5	28.4		$30,659
Westhill High School	Public	9-12	125 Roxbury Rd.	Stamford	06902	Western Connecticut Planning Region	Stamford School District	No	No	No	No	(203) 977-4477	2,224	154	14.4	53.6%	427 (19.2%)	259 (11.6%)	1,348 (60.6%)	136 (6.1%)	5 (0.2%)	3 (0.1%)	44 (2.0%)	23.3	100^th of 141 public high schools	29.1%		32	92^nd of 145 public high schools	36.6%	8	27.5	42.8	18.4	$21,198

Frequently Asked Questions about Brien McMahon High School

What district is Brien McMahon High School in?

Norwalk School District

What is the racial makeup of Brien McMahon High School?

Students at Brien McMahon High School are 62% Hispanic, 19% White, 13% African American, 4% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Brien McMahon High School?

Brien McMahon High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Brookside Elementary School
Elementary : Fox Run Elementary School
Elementary : Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School
Elementary : Kendall College & Career Academy
Elementary : Rowayton School
Middle : Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy
Middle : Roton Middle School

Is Brien McMahon High School a good school?

Brien McMahon High School ranks 74^th of 141 Connecticut high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Brien McMahon High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,739 students attended Brien McMahon High School.

Rate Brien McMahon High School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Connecticut Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.