Lyons Community School

Lyons Community School, serving grades 6-12, is known for its small, supportive environment where students and staff foster a strong sense of community. Parents and students frequently highlight the caring teachers and individualized attention provided. The school is recognized for its progressive approach to education, including its status as a model Restorative Justice school and participation in the NYS Performance Standards Consortium, which emphasizes extensive essays, experiments, and presentations over most Regents exams. Students engage in diverse learning opportunities, from field studies and science projects to visual arts, creative writing, dance, and sports. The school receives excellent ratings for its relationships with families, with overwhelmingly positive parent survey responses. However, academic outcomes present a concern: ELA proficiency (33%) and Math proficiency (19%) are well below citywide medians, as are the 4-year graduation rate (72%) and college enrollment rate (29.5%). Student survey results also indicate some challenges with bullying and physical altercations. The school occupies a shared building and maintains a very small enrollment, which contributes to its close-knit atmosphere.