High Schools in South Lyon Community Schools

The South Lyon Community Schools district operates two high schools—South Lyon High School and South Lyon East High School—serving grades 9 through 12 for roughly 2,400 students in this suburban Detroit community. Both schools rank in the top 7% of Michigan high schools, making this one of the state's strongest districts for secondary education.

While the two schools are closely matched, South Lyon East High School edges ahead on several headline metrics. It holds a slightly higher state ranking (48th vs. 51st), boasts a significantly better graduation rate (96.4% vs. 90.5%), and outperforms its sister school in SAT reading and writing (74.5% vs. 70.1% proficiency) and 9th-grade PSAT English (84.4% vs. 77.2%). However, South Lyon High School counters with lower chronic absenteeism (19.6% vs. 24.4%), a lower dropout rate (0.6% vs. 1.6%), and slightly better 10th-grade PSAT math scores. The schools also show a curious 10th-grade English reversal: South Lyon High's 10th graders outperform their 9th graders, while East's 10th graders fall sharply behind their own 9th-grade cohort—a 13-point gap between the two schools at that grade level.

Both schools far exceed state averages in nearly every subject, with science and social studies proficiency rates around 54-65% compared to state figures in the mid-30s to low-40s. Math remains the clearest shared weakness, with SAT math proficiency near 49% at both schools—roughly double the state average but trailing their own English scores by 20-25 points. Notably, South Lyon High School spends $1,193 more per student and maintains a better student-teacher ratio (17.0 vs. 19.7), yet South Lyon East High School achieves comparable or better outcomes with fewer resources. For parents, both schools offer excellent academics, but East leads in graduation and literacy while South Lyon High shows stronger attendance and math consistency.