High Schools in Ithaca City School District

The Ithaca City School District is home to two high schools: Ithaca Senior High School and Lehman Alternative Community School. Ithaca Senior High School stands out as the top-performing high school in the district, ranking in the top 13% of all high schools in New York state. The school boasts impressive test scores, particularly in STEM-related subjects, and maintains a solid 84.3% four-year graduation rate.

In contrast, while Lehman Alternative Community School is still performing well in some areas, its statewide ranking has declined over the years, dropping from 98th out of 1,086 high schools in 2008-2009 to 301st out of 1,217 in 2012-2013. The school's performance on state assessments in English Language Arts and Math is more mixed, with some grades exceeding the district and state averages, while others fall behind. Additionally, Lehman Alternative Community School has a higher chronic absenteeism rate of 34.1%, which is on par with the rate at Ithaca Senior High School.

Both high schools in the Ithaca City School District have a four-year graduation rate of 84.3%, which is on par with the district average. However, Lehman Alternative Community School spends significantly more per student ($18,931) compared to Ithaca Senior High School ($15,842), and has a lower student-teacher ratio of 9.2, compared to 12.4 at Ithaca Senior High School. These factors may contribute to the performance differences between the two schools.