Penfield Senior High School, Penfield NY

Original Research by School Decision on Penfield Senior High School

Penfield Senior High School is a mid-sized, four-year public high school in suburban Penfield, New York, about a short drive east of Rochester. The school draws students from a predominantly white, middle-to-upper-middle-class suburb where home values sit well above both state and national medians, though the school itself reflects modest economic diversity: roughly a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and a small share of students identify as Black, Hispanic, or multiracial. The enrollment is balanced evenly across the four grade levels.

State assessment results and the school's graduation rate were not available in the reported data, making it difficult to characterize academic performance or college-readiness outcomes from standard metrics. This gap is notable for a school of this type and size, and a parent may want to look into it directly with the school district or the school itself. The district does not appear to report these measures publicly in a readily accessible way.

The school sits within Penfield Central School District, which is undergoing important structural and facility changes. Voters approved a major capital project in December 2025 that includes a dedicated STEM addition at the high school, along with auditorium renovation at the middle school and building improvements across all elementary schools, funded through reserves and state aid with no additional local tax burden. This represents a multi-year investment in facilities that will shape the learning environment. Separately, the middle school is shifting from its long-standing 'house' organizational model to grade-level teams beginning fall 2026, which does not directly affect high school but signals evolving pedagogy in the district.

Penfield itself is a car-oriented residential suburb that is gradually adding pedestrian infrastructure and expanding sidewalks, with roughly a quarter of new development in the county going toward senior housing and new single-family homes from regional builders. The housing market there shows strong price growth and relatively tight inventory, reflecting broader demand. Families considering Penfield should know that school spending and property tax levies have risen steadily, with voters approving a substantial levy increase for the 2026-27 budget as salaries, health care, and operations costs grow. That trajectory is worth considering for homebuyers.

Without visible state assessment results or graduation-rate data, it is hard to say how Penfield High School ranks academically among Monroe County schools or how students perform in college-readiness. Prospective families in a relatively affluent district with strong facilities investment may want to request detailed program offerings, AP or dual-credit pathways, college placement outcomes, and recent assessment data directly from the school to understand the academic profile and whether it aligns with their students' goals.

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Academic performance

How students graduate and prepare for what comes next.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

98.0%Cohort of 365 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

15 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 BC

46 tested

69.6%

scored 3 or higher

Computer Science Principles

2 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Sciences

Biology

59 tested

76.3%

scored 3 or higher

Environmental Science

47 tested · Grade 10

63.8%

scored 3 or higher

Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

9 tested

55.6%

scored 3 or higher

Physics C: Mechanics

22 tested

72.7%

scored 3 or higher

History and Social Sciences

Psychology

59 tested · Grade 10

64.4%

scored 3 or higher

U.S. History

156 tested

89.7%

scored 3 or higher

World Languages and Cultures

French Language and Culture

1 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Spanish Language and Culture

3 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Arts

Music Theory

12 tested · Grade 10

58.3%

scored 3 or higher

Other

Language and Comp

139 tested

67.6%

scored 3 or higher

Literature and Comp

21 tested

100.0%

scored 3 or higher

U S Government and Politics

98 tested

88.8%

scored 3 or higher

World History

111 tested · Grade 10

94.6%

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
Social Studies	360	92.0%
Ela	359	92.0%
Math	342	85.0%
Science	174	78.0%

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.