Canandaigua Academy, Canandaigua NY

Original Research by School Decision on Canandaigua Academy

Canandaigua Academy is a public high school serving grades nine through twelve in the city of Canandaigua, located in Ontario County at the northern end of Canandaigua Lake, a short distance southeast of Rochester. The school has a mid-sized enrollment for its grade band.

The student body is predominantly white. About one in three students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a moderate level of economic need in the district population. Race and ethnicity data show a student body that is less diverse than many urban and suburban schools, though the school does serve students across multiple racial and ethnic backgrounds. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not available.

State testing data and graduation rate results were not provided, so the school's academic performance on standardized measures cannot be assessed from the information available. Similarly, information on course offerings, AP or dual-credit pathways, honors programs, specific academic strengths, or distinctive curricular features was not included. A parent interested in understanding the school's academic trajectory and program depth would want to visit the school's website or contact the district directly to learn what course breadth, elective options, and post-secondary pathways it offers.

Canandaigua itself is a small city functioning as the county seat, with a historic downtown centered on South Main Street featuring specialty shops, galleries, restaurants, and a business improvement district. The downtown core is described as walkable with street life anchored by the farmers market and seasonal activity. Wood Library, a full-service public library, sits on North Main Street and hosts community programs and health services. Lakefront recreation is central to the area; Kershaw Park offers a public beach, picnic areas, and waterfront access. The wider region has experienced modest growth, with Ontario County described as one of the few growing regions in upstate New York, and housing development is active. Median home values and rental costs in the Canandaigua area sit near national benchmarks, with mortgage affordability and rent-to-income ratios within typical ranges for the current mortgage rate environment.

Major employers in the region include Thompson Health, a health-care system; Canandaigua National Bank & Trust, a locally owned financial institution; and wine operations, particularly Centerra Wine Company, which has deep roots in the city. The school district itself is a significant employer in the community.

The Canandaigua City School District is in the midst of a substantial facility modernization. Voters approved a capital project that will upgrade and renovate all district buildings, including Canandaigua Academy, with no additional cost to taxpayers, funded through capital reserves and state aid. Construction is running from 2025 through 2028 and will bring safety upgrades, technology improvements, and athletic-field enhancements. This modernization is a substantive change to the physical plant that families considering the district would view as an asset.

Property tax is a consideration for any family buying in the area. The district's recurring operating budget passes annual voter approval, with successive increases in the tax levy now underway. Additionally, voters approved a separate ongoing increase to the Wood Library tax, collected on school bills, which represents a lasting annual cost built into property tax liability. A prospective homeowner would want to understand both the school operating rate and the library assessment in the full tax picture.

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Academic performance

How students graduate and prepare for what comes next.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

94.0%Cohort of 308 students · Class of 2021

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.

Advanced Placement & IB

21 subjects offered · 2023-24

Each card is one AP or IB subject. The headline number is the share of students scoring 3 or higher on the exam — the threshold for college credit at most universities. The bar below each rate shows the underlying distribution across performance levels.

Score:12· no credit345· extremely well qualified

Math and Computer Science

Calculus AB

37 tested

94.6%

scored 3 or higher

Computer Science A

7 tested

28.6%

scored 3 or higher

Statistics

35 tested

51.4%

scored 3 or higher

Sciences

Biology

33 tested

72.7%

scored 3 or higher

Chemistry

36 tested

77.8%

scored 3 or higher

Environmental Science

7 tested

57.1%

scored 3 or higher

Physics 1

24 tested

83.3%

scored 3 or higher

Physics 2

4 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

History and Social Sciences

Macroeconomics

72 tested

58.3%

scored 3 or higher

Psychology

9 tested

44.4%

scored 3 or higher

U.S. History

93 tested

79.6%

scored 3 or higher

International Baccalaureate

Ib Biology SL

1 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Language a Language and Literature English HL

10 tested

100.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Language B French SL

1 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Mathematics Analysis and Approaches SL

6 tested

50.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Sports Exercise and Health Science SL

22 tested

95.5%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Visual Arts HL

10 tested

100.0%

scored 3 or higher

Other

Language and Comp

35 tested

57.1%

scored 3 or higher

Literature and Comp

14 tested

92.9%

scored 3 or higher

U S Government and Politics

73 tested

76.7%

scored 3 or higher

World History

19 tested · Grade 9, Grade 10

94.7%

scored 3 or higher

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	266	89.0%
Science	259	81.0%
Social Studies	232	84.0%
Math	117	93.0%

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.