Original Research by School Decision on Randolph Academy Union Free School District
Randolph Academy Union Free School District is a special-act school district in Cattaraugus County serving students with emotional and behavioral disabilities through placement rather than open enrollment. The district operates two campuses: one in Randolph that houses both day and boarding students, and one in Hamburg that serves day students only. Families do not simply choose this district the way they would a traditional public school; enrollment occurs through referral from a student's home school district or county social services, making it a therapeutic placement option rather than a neighborhood school.
The district's enrollment is small, with students distributed across grades three through ten at present. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller percentages of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Free-and-reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not available, and information about students with Individualized Education Programs or English learners is not public for this district.
State testing data for math, English language arts, and science are suppressed due to the small number of tested students in each grade, a common practice when cohorts are very small. This suppression prevents any public reporting of achievement levels. Student participation in state testing appears near complete in the elementary and middle grades, though one secondary grade showed partial participation. Because this district serves a specialized population referred for emotional and behavioral support, standardized testing results reflect a context quite different from typical public schools, and the suppression itself signals the small-scale, individualized nature of the enrollment.
The defining recent institutional change is the district's adoption of restorative justice as its primary discipline and conflict-resolution framework. Restorative practices replace traditional punitive discipline with community-building circles and restorative conferences designed to repair harm and rebuild relationships. This approach is embedded in district policy and the Code of Conduct, making it a durable pedagogical and cultural feature. The district has actively trained its own staff and other Western New York districts in this model through 2024-2025, signaling that restorative justice is a core identity of the school, not a temporary initiative. For a family considering placement here for a student struggling with behavioral or emotional challenges, this philosophy would shape the daily experience.
Among Cattaraugus County's districts, the district's chronic absenteeism rate falls in the bottom quartile, reflecting the higher attendance challenges typical of schools serving students with emotional and behavioral needs. Graduation rate and overall proficiency data were not available or not applicable given the district's specialized mission. Four-year graduation figures would not be available for a district with this enrollment pattern and age range. No per-pupil spending comparison was available.
A parent or family evaluator considering Randolph Academy should understand its core identity: it is not a traditional school district but a state-funded therapeutic placement option. The small, referred enrollment; the two-campus structure with one residential option; the explicit restorative discipline model; and the focus on emotional and behavioral support are the essential context. This is a school designed for students already identified as needing specialized, structured emotional and behavioral intervention, not a district for families making a standard neighborhood or choice school decision.
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