Lyon High School

Lyon High School is a very small, grade-12-only school in the Boston district at 95 Beechcroft Street in Brighton, near Brookline, Newton, Cambridge, and Belmont, with 95 students enrolled. The district ranks 299th of 351 in Massachusetts, and Lyon’s own state rank has been low: 340th of 349 in 2024–2025, 3rd percentile, 0 stars. Its most unusual feature is a resource paradox: Lyon had the highest per-student spending among nearby schools, $38,527 in 2020–2021, and the lowest student-teacher ratio, 6.7:1, compared with 9.0:1 at Brighton High School and 18.6:1 at Boston Latin School.

Measured academics are very low. In 2024–2025 10th-grade MCAS, Lyon’s proficiency was 4.76% ELA, 4.76% math, and 11.11% science, far below the Boston district’s 39.73%, 37.62%, and 32.63% and the state’s 50.66%, 44.6%, and 45.89%. Nearby suburban schools are much higher: Belmont High around 84% ELA, 87% math, 88.7% science; Newton South High around 73%, 81%, 76%; and Brookline High around 78%, 83%, 79%. Among urban comparators, Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann and Boston Green Academy Horace Mann Charter School are also low but often above Lyon. With only 95 students, percentages can swing on a few students—4.76% is roughly one student in 21—so year-to-year changes should be read cautiously.

Graduation is Lyon’s clearest relative strength: 89.5% in 2024–2025 versus the Boston district’s 81.3%, though suburban neighbors are higher, such as Belmont High at 97.5% and Newton South High at 98.7%. Dropout was 5.3% recently, better than the district’s 8.8%, but it has been volatile, including 13.3% in 2023–2024. Compared with immediate neighbors, Lyon has a higher graduation rate and lower dropout rate than Brighton High School (89.5% vs. 61.8%; 5.3% vs. 27.2%), and better graduation/lower dropout than Boston Green Academy Horace Mann Charter School, though that school had somewhat higher latest ELA and math proficiency. Overall, Lyon is a tiny, resource-intensive school with unusually small classes but among the lowest measured proficiency, state rankings, and subgroup effectiveness in its area; its graduation rate is the main bright spot, while low MCAS results, a recent 0-star rating, and inconsistent dropout data are the main concerns.