True North Rochester Preparatory Charter School, Rochester NY

Original Research by School Decision on True North Rochester Preparatory Charter School

True North Rochester Preparatory Charter School serves kindergarten through grade twelve from a campus in Rochester on Brooks Avenue. The school operates as a single-site charter, meaning students attend this location for all their years rather than spreading across multiple buildings as a traditional district would.

The enrollment spans the full K-12 range with roughly consistent cohorts in the elementary and middle grades, then a larger high school population, particularly in grade nine. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the demographics of Rochester itself. The student body is predominantly Black, with meaningful representation of Hispanic students and smaller populations of other racial and ethnic backgrounds.

State assessment results show sharp variation across grades and subjects, which parents should understand carefully. In third- and fourth-grade math, proficiency rates are strong, particularly in grade four. From grade five onward, math proficiency drops substantially, with grade five math showing very low results and grades six and seven showing only modest recovery. English language arts results follow a similar pattern: grade three and four performance is below proficiency rates seen elsewhere, but grade four in ELA is notably better. Fifth-grade ELA is low, and results remain modest through the middle grades. Science data covers only grades five and eight; grade five science proficiency is in the low-to-mid range, and no grade eight science results were reported. A parent may want to ask the school directly about the eighth-grade results and about the grade-five-and-forward performance dip, which may reflect changes in curriculum, student composition, instructional approach, or student need at that transition point.

Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among the other districts in Monroe County. This is a concrete measure parents should weigh: the school is not performing at the level of many peers in the region. Graduation rate data was not available; parents should request that directly from the school when considering high school choice.

True North is located in Rochester, a city anchored by healthcare, education, and manufacturing employment. Downtown has undergone recent revitalization, with adaptive-reuse housing projects and ongoing state-funded downtown development. The Olmsted-designed park system, central library, and bus transit network shape daily life. Housing values in the school's zip code are substantially below the state benchmark, reflecting Rochester's broader affordability profile; rents are proportionally modest as well. The economic environment includes moderate mortgage rates and a stable unemployment rate, though real median household income regionally sits below pre-pandemic peaks.

The school does not carry Title I status in the data, and no information about special education rates, English learner counts, or specific support programming was available. High school course access, career pathways, or AP offerings were also not documented. Parents should ask the school directly about these offerings, especially if their student has specialized needs or is planning toward college or career training.

For families considering True North, the key question is whether the charter's approach and environment, if they differ from the district alternative, justify the academic performance profile shown here. The state testing data suggests the school faces meaningful challenges, particularly as students advance beyond grade four. The school's strength in early elementary math offers a foundation, but the sustained difficulty in upper elementary and middle school academics requires direct conversation with administrators about why this pattern appears and what intervention or support exists.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

85-89%Cohort of 72 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,253 schools plotted. 14 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

New York Regents Exams

4 courses reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Ela	278	22.0%
Science	225	24.0%
Social Studies	163	33.0%
Math	50	4.0%

Math

Grade 385%

School 85% · district not reported

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

Grade 493%

School 93% · district not reported

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 48 pts above county median

Grade 512%

School 12% · district not reported

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 626%

School 26% · district not reported

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 755%

School 55% · district not reported

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · district not reported

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · district not reported

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 465%

School 65% · district not reported

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · district not reported

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 641%

School 41% · district not reported

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 747%

School 47% · district not reported

even with state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 845%

School 45% · district not reported

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Science

Grade 537%

School 37% · district not reported

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · district not reported

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

This schoolDistrict average, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income41%Higher-income15%26 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income65%Higher-income63%2 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income38%2 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income39%2 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income51%Higher-income33%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income39%Higher-income75%36 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income84%Higher-income92%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income92%Higher-income100%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income9%Higher-income25%17 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income17%10 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income58%Higher-income44%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income56%Higher-income50%6 pp gap