Brien McMahon High School

Brien McMahon High School opened in September 1960, as a Junior - Senior high school with grades 7 - 12. In 1966, with construction of Roton Middle School, McMahon became a grade 9 - 12 high school. Basically, it serves the areas of Norwalk west of the river. The school is named after James O’Brien McMahon, one of Norwalk’s native statesmen who distinguished himself as a local judge, U.S. Senator, and chairman of the first United States Atomic Energy Commission.

The school’s population has varied from a high 2240 pupils in 1975 to a low of 978 in 1991. The 1996 - 1997 pupil population in projected at 1200 - an ideal size for a comprehensive high school. The school was last accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in October 1994 with superior ratings.

The student population comes from a broad socio-economic-ethnic spectrum. This kind of diversity has fostered positive tolerance among all who pass through the McMahon portals. Some 85% of the graduates go on to some form of higher education ranging from the Ivy League schools to the two-year community colleges. The mean SAT scores over the years have been steadily rising to a point where they exceed all of the other urban areas in the state.

The school offers a full complement of courses ranging from the remedial to honors and advanced placement classes. Over the past four years, a Japanese magnet program, the Center for Japanese Study Abroad (CJSA), has attracted pupils from the surrounding towns of Fairfield County. The funding for this program comes from a special grant of the Connecticut State Department of Education.

The school is staffed with an adequate number of teacher and support personnel which include six counselors, two social workers, one psychological examiner, one principal and three housemasters. Inter scholastic and extra curricular activities are numerous and available to all interested pupils. The Key Club and the National Honor Society are two of the most active after school clubs which "give back" to the community.

The school’s staff, most of whom have achieved advanced degrees and some of whom have gained state and national awards/recognition, are committed to academic rigor and excellence through our theme of Structure, Order and Routine.

Parents and students who are contemplating relocating into the Brien McMahon High School district are encouraged to call for an appointment, tour, or visit to the school via the principal’s office. The contact number is (203) 852 - 9488.