Rochester Prep Charter School 3, Rochester NY

Original Research by School Decision on Rochester Prep Charter School 3

Rochester Prep Charter School 3 is a kindergarten-through-seventh-grade charter school in Rochester serving a student population that is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with a large majority of students from low-income households. The school occupies a single facility on St. Jacob Street and has been granted charter renewal through the 2030-31 school year by SUNY, giving families clarity on its long-term operation.

The school's academic results show a mixed picture with meaningful differences across grade levels and subjects. In mathematics, third graders are the school's strongest performers, reaching a proficiency rate above the midpoint. Fourth and seventh graders cluster in the lower-middle range, while fifth graders show the lowest outcomes. Sixth graders perform somewhat better than adjacent grades. In English language arts, proficiency rates run consistently in the mid-to-low range across grades three through eight, with no grade reaching above fifty percent proficiency. Science testing is sparse in the data; fifth grade shows very low proficiency, and eighth-grade science testing does not appear in the results, likely because the school does not serve that grade. When viewed against other districts in Monroe County, Rochester Prep's overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile, indicating substantially lower performance than most of its neighboring districts.

The school has recently undertaken curricular and behavioral changes meant to address these outcomes. The network implemented science-of-reading instruction and targeted math interventions system-wide, representing a fundamental shift in how reading and mathematics are taught. In response to data on absenteeism and suspensions, the school has also introduced more structured behavior supports, including multi-tiered systems of support and in-classroom reset spaces, signaling a move toward prevention rather than reactive discipline. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how these changes are being rolled out in Rochester Prep 3 specifically and what early indicators suggest about their effectiveness.

The school's operating context has been strained by state funding cuts. Charter schools in Rochester, including Rochester Prep, lost per-pupil aid in consecutive years while district schools received increases. This funding pressure has forced the network into operational cutbacks, which may affect classroom resources, staffing ratios, and facilities maintenance. Given this backdrop, it is worth understanding with the school what supports and electives are in place despite these budget constraints.

The student body is economically vulnerable: roughly ninety percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Enrollment across the kindergarten-through-seventh-grade band runs consistent at each grade level, suggesting stable intake and retention patterns. Special-education and English-learner population counts were not available in the data, so families with students in those categories may want to inquire directly about how the school identifies and serves those needs.

Rochester Prep sits in a city that has experienced decades of population decline but is now pursuing downtown revitalization. Housing values in the school's zip code are substantially lower than state benchmarks, and rents have risen markedly in the past year. The area has strong civic anchors including Olmsted-designed parks, a system of public libraries, and a regional bus transit network, and recent years have brought adaptive-reuse residential development and state-funded affordable-housing projects downtown.

This school is a public charter option for families in Rochester seeking an alternative to district schools. Its academic trajectory suggests ongoing improvement efforts are underway, but current proficiency levels are below county peers, and the school operates with tighter resources than neighboring district schools. Families considering enrollment should understand both the school's commitment to curricular change and the reality of its current performance and funding constraints.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

New York Regents Exams

2 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	78	45.0%
Math	77	22.0%

Math

Grade 376%

School 76% · district not reported

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 447%

School 47% · district not reported

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

Grade 532%

School 32% · district not reported

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 662%

School 62% · district not reported

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 747%

School 47% · district not reported

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 1 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 341%

School 41% · district not reported

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

Grade 439%

School 39% · district not reported

▼ 14 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 534%

School 34% · district not reported

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 648%

School 48% · district not reported

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 740%

School 40% · district not reported

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

Grade 842%

School 42% · district not reported

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 526%

School 26% · district not reported

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 6 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income44%Higher-income11%33 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income17%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income51%Higher-income25%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income42%Higher-income31%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income41%Higher-income44%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income80%Higher-income44%36 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income17%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income64%Higher-income38%27 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income51%Higher-income29%22 pp gap