Russian School of Math Has Convenient New Lexington Center Location

BY MADELYN LUCENTE

September 1, 2026

RSM Regional Vice President Sona Antonyan (left) and Lexington Vice Principal Manasi Singhal at the new Lexington Center location. (Photo by Jim Shaw)

Russian School of Math has new convenient Lexington Center location

RSM looks to support other Lexington Center businesses through a series of events encouraging their families and other residents to support Lexington Center businesses

BY MADELYN LUCENTE

F or almost two decades, the Russian School of Math, better known to most as RSM, has been a well-known part of the Lexington community. Now, after years at its Hartwell Avenue location, the after-school mathematics program is beginning a new chapter in Lexington Center

Sona Antonyan

For Sona Antonyan, RSM’s Regional Vice President, this move is particularly meaningful. Antoyan has been serving the RSM communi¬ty for 18 years, beginning when the organization was a small “mom-and-pop” business based out of Newton, with fewer than 3,000 students across only four locations. She opened the Lexington branch in 2010 and has remained deeply connected to the community ever since

“I started when the school was really tiny in Newton,” Antonyan said. “I opened the Lexington location, and since then I have been in Lexington.”

Antoyan has helped oversee the openings of many additional schools, including locations in Belmont and Arlington, before taking on the responsibility of the Northeast Region.

Today, RSM serves more than 90,000 students across approximately 90 locations in the United States, Canada, and other countries around the world. Despite that growth, Antonyan said she still sees RSM as a small, community-oriented business, saying she wants “families to know that RSM Lexington—we are a small, connected business.”

What Lexington Center has to offer

**RSM Regional Vice President Sona Antonyan (left) and Lexington Vice Principal Manasi Singhal at the new Lexington Center location. (Photo by Jim Shaw)**

For years, Antonyan envisioned a location where students could walk to RSM after school, or where parents could easily drop off their children while traveling through town. That dream became a reality when 25 Depot Square became available.

The new location offers RSM more visibility, but also places the school within the daily happenings of the Lexington Center. The building’s large windows and high ceilings were an immediate draw for Antonyan.

“Almost all of the classrooms have this big, nice natural light that I personally am excited about,” Antonyan said. The classrooms are also larger than those at previous locations, providing more space for students.

The move has already had its trial run, having held summer school programs in the new space, which allowed for staff to test the waters of this new location, everything from classroom logistics to parking and student pickup.

The new location is also expected to make RSM more accessible to students who previously depended on their parents for transportation. Lexington High School students who work as tutors at RSM will have an easier time getting to work, while others in the Lexington Public School system may be able to utilize the town’s public transportation to get to class.

RSM Lexington Principal Gohar Hakobya.

Gohar Hakobyan

That accessibility was a major part of what Gohar Hakobyan, the new principal of RSM Lexington, hopes the move will accomplish.

Hakobyan first joined the RSM team in 2019, working in administration and teaching at the Lexington and Belmont locations. In 2023, she became principal of RSM Brookline and later served as a regional director, overseeing several schools, including Lexington. She has now returned to Lexington as a principal, just as the school was preparing to move downtown.

“I think, for RSM Lexington…we always kind of thought about us as deeply connected to the communities that we serve, And I think this, our new location, will make RSM more visible, more accessible to the families, and it will hopefully allow us to become a more active part of the daily life of the community,” Hakobyan said when asked what she was most excited for with this new chapter of RSM.

History of RSM

RSM’s approach to mathematics began nearly thirty years ago, before it became the RSM people know today. When two immigrant mothers with a strong background in mathematics wanted a different kind of math education for their children, what began as tutoring for their own children and a few friends eventually grew into an international organization.

But according to both Antonyan and Hakobyan, RSM is not simply about teaching students how to solve mathematical equations.

“The main concept behind RSM is teaching mathematics not for the sake of learning the subject, but more using algebra as a tool to develop critical thinking, logical reasoning, and problem solving,” said Antonyan

Antonyan cites one of the most rewarding changes to see in students is the transition from saying “You didn’t teach this to me,” to asking themselves “Let me think about it. Let me try to figure it out.”

“That shift is exactly what RSM is about,” she said.

Hakobyan similarly emphasized that RSM is intended to meet students at different levels. Some students join because they need additional support with school mathematics, while others are looking for more challenging material, including honors classes, competition preparation and advanced coursework.

“Math is for everyone,” stressed Hakobyan. “It depends how you present it, how you find the key to students’ different abilities and different needs and goals.

However, RSM’s philosophy extends far beyond mathematics. The program sees its role as working alongside families to help students develop skills and character they will carry with them long after they leave the classroom.

“We are their partner in educating kids for life, not just in math education.” Said Antonyan, emphasizing the program’s ability to help students hone their problem-solving and life skills

Growing in the Space:

The goal is not just to bring RSM families downtown, but to help them contribute to the Lexington community. The team has discussed plans for parent networking events that could bring RSM families into local restaurants and businesses. One idea the team had is a monthly gathering at a Lexington restaurant, giving parents the opportunity to meet one another and socialize all while encouraging them to explore businesses in the center.

“The simple foot traffic that will be coming on a weekly basis, we were discussing how to turn them into customers in the center for all those small businesses,” Antonyan said.

For a program that began with two parents seeking a better way to teach their children, the move marks a significant step in the business’s evolution.

That community involvement will begin with RSM’s upcoming back-to-school celebration. Hackobyan explained. The school has invited local businesses to participate, hoping to bring RSM families and businesses together. She said, “We are planning our back-to-school bash. We invited a lot of businesses to partner with us to celebrate the start of the new school year. We welcome all businesses to join us for this event. We look forward to a very successful event that will be another celebration and another fun event for our community,” Hackobyan said.

As RSM settles into its new home, the school hopes that education and its accessibility can help breathe new life into the available space. As Hackobyan put it, the goal is to contribute to Lexington “not just being simply a business located in Lexington.”