Iroquois Middle School, Rochester NY

Original Research by School Decision on Iroquois Middle School

Iroquois Middle School serves fourth through sixth grades in Rochester, within the West Irondequoit Central School District. The school enrolls a small student population, split fairly evenly across its three grade levels. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the majority of the student body is white, with smaller populations of Hispanic, Black, and Asian students.

On state assessments in mathematics and English language arts, the school's performance is mixed by grade. In math, proficiency grows noticeably across the grade band: fourth graders show below-average rates, fifth graders improve meaningfully, and sixth graders reach solidly above-average proficiency. In English language arts, performance is more level across grades, ranging from low-to-moderate proficiency. Science proficiency, tested only in fifth grade, is substantially lower than in math or literacy. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it in the top quartile among Monroe County districts, a positioning that reflects solid math gains and sixth-grade strength even as reading and science results show room for growth.

Participation rates on state tests are generally strong, ranging from about four-fifths to nine-tenths of students tested. This consistency suggests the school maintains good engagement with the assessment process.

The district recently invested in the school's physical plant. The R.I.S.E. Project, approved in spring 2024, included new playgrounds at Iroquois completed before the 2024-25 school year. The larger Promise Project 2027, approved by voters in December 2024, will add a multi-purpose turf athletic complex with baseball and softball fields at the school, along with a grass baseball diamond. These improvements are funded through capital reserves and state aid with no tax impact to families.

At the district level, state foundation aid has become the largest revenue source for the first time, a shift that reduces reliance on local property taxes. The 2025-26 budget raised the tax levy modestly, and voters authorized a new capital reserve fund to support future improvements over ten years. The district also faces a Pre-K waiting list, which the Promise Project 2027 aims to address by adding three new Pre-K classrooms at the Pinegrove Learning Center.

The school sits in Rochester, a city rebuilt around healthcare, higher education, and advanced manufacturing anchored by the University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester General Hospital, and Rochester Institute of Technology. The city has pursued downtown revitalization over the past decade after decades of decline, and housing development is accelerating. Home values in the school's zip code are modest relative to state benchmarks, and rental rates are moderate. The market has shown recent movement, with elevated supply and steady demand. A typical home at or near median asking price would cost parents roughly a mid-range monthly mortgage before taxes and insurance, making housing accessible by regional comparison.

Iroquois Middle School suits families seeking a small to mid-sized middle grades environment with visible academic strength in math, access to outdoor recreation and athletic facilities, and a location in a revitalizing city with stable housing costs. Parents should look further into the science curriculum if that subject is a priority, and may want to discuss literacy support with the school directly, given that English language arts results suggest room for acceleration.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 467%

School 67% · District 65% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 67% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 680%

School 80% · District 76% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 55 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 66% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 568%

School 68% · District 61% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 664%

School 64% · District 59% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Science

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 54% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 599%

School 99% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

This schoolWEST IRONDEQUOIT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, 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 4Lower-income50%Higher-income72%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income46%Higher-income81%35 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income76%43 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income51%Higher-income74%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income60%Higher-income83%23 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income64%Higher-income86%23 pp gap