Xavier Lyceum, Guatemala


Xavier Lyceum is a Catholic private school, located in the City of Guatemala and founded in 1952 by the religious order of the Society of Jesus. It includes preschool through baccalaureate in science and in literature.

History

Xavier Lyceum in Guatemala opened in 1952 with students from kindergarten to third grade, in two small classrooms loaned by the Peyré family to supplement the prestigious private "French school" for young ladies with a school for boys. The founder, Jorge Toruno Lizarralde., entered Guatemala surreptitiously since under the liberal governments of Justo Rufino Barrios and José María Reina Barrios the Jesuits had been expelled from the country. Toruno initially opened a male section for the French Lyceum.
After the overthrow of Colonel Jacobo Arbenz Guzman in 1954 by the National Liberation Movement, private religious education boomed after 1955. Toruño renamed the school "Xavier Lyceum".
Shortly after 1952, the school moved from 4th Avenue Zone 1 of Guatemala City, "Simeon Canas" Avenue near the North Race Track, and with the help of grants and loans Toruño bought 17 blocks on the edge of the Calzada Aguilar Bátres, the location of the school since 1957.
In 1956 construction began on the primary building, which was ready in 1957. That same year the college moved permanently to new premises. When Orlando Sacasa, was rector, a granddaughter of General Justo Rufino Barrios donated $350,000 for the 3-storey secondary building. She made this donation to compensate for expropriations made during the government of Barrios.

New century

Xavier Lyceum became coeducational in the year 2000. In 2015 it ranked eleventh among 1,592 secondary schools in Guatemala, and second among those with more than 100 students tested.
In 2016 the baccalaureate was awarded to 57 day and 15 night school students. All but two of the 72 graduates scored in the two highest levels on all parts of the standardized exam.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of the Xavier Lyceum include: