Rochester Academy Charter School, Rochester NY

Original Research by School Decision on Rochester Academy Charter School

Rochester Academy Charter School is a K-12 charter school in Rochester, New York, serving an enrollment of about eight hundred students across three separate campuses, one each for elementary, middle, and high school. The school completed a significant structural milestone in 2022 when it opened a dedicated elementary facility and received a charter renewal extending its authorization through 2027, confirming its long-term place in the Rochester education landscape.

The student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial share of Hispanic and White students and smaller shares of Asian and Pacific Islander students. All enrolled students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting deep economic need across the school population. The school sits in Rochester, a mid-sized city anchored by healthcare, higher education, and manufacturing employment, with downtown revitalization efforts underway that have added residential housing and redrawn the city's trajectory after decades of population decline.

State assessment results for 2024-25 show proficiency in math and English language arts across grades 3 through 8. Math results are particularly uneven: students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 show low proficiency, with only grade 7 reaching proficiency near or above half. English proficiency is similarly weak in grades 3 and 6 but notably stronger in grades 4 and 7. Grade 5 science proficiency is low; no Grade 8 science data was reported. When compared against other districts in Monroe County, Rochester Academy's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among the school systems in the county. A parent may want to look further into the school's curriculum, instruction, and student support systems to understand what is driving these results and what the school is doing to address them. Test participation rates are high and consistent, meaning these results reflect actual student performance rather than missing data.

The school's charter structure and three-campus configuration are defining features. The elementary campus serves grades kindergarten through fifth, the middle campus grades 6 through 8, and the high school campus grades 9 through 12. This separation means families with multiple children may attend different locations. The dedication of space to each band does allow for grade-specific programming and environments, though logistically it means separate drop-offs and pickup for families with children in more than one building. High school data beyond proficiency results, such as graduation rates or specific course offerings, was not available in the records provided.

Housing in the Rochester zip code where the school sits is affordable relative to the state benchmark, with median home values and rental rates substantially below the New York average. This affordability is coupled with economic context showing above-average unemployment and median household income at or below national norms. The combination positions Rochester Academy in an economically challenged part of the housing market, which aligns with the school's student demographics and full-poverty enrollment.

Rochester is a walkable city with downtown civic anchors, a public library system, and bus transit, so families living in the neighborhoods near the school's campuses have access to city amenities and services. The city's ongoing downtown revitalization creates a shifting backdrop for school choice, as new housing and mixed-use development proceed alongside longstanding residential neighborhoods.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 45 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
Science	189	43.0%
Social Studies	53	77.0%
Ela	51	78.0%
Math	7	14.0%

Math

Grade 311%

School 11% · district not reported

▼ 48 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Grade 420%

School 20% · district not reported

▼ 39 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · district not reported

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 618%

School 18% · district not reported

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 749%

School 49% · district not reported

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 811%

School 11% · district not reported

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 318%

School 18% · district not reported

▼ 34 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 439%

School 39% · district not reported

▼ 13 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 523%

School 23% · district not reported

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

Grade 618%

School 18% · district not reported

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 731%

School 31% · district not reported

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 825%

School 25% · district not reported

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Science

Grade 520%

School 20% · district not reported

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below 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.