East Upper High School, Rochester NY

Original Research by School Decision on East Upper High School

East Upper High School is a traditional public high school in Rochester serving grades nine through twelve. The school enrolled a substantial portion of Rochester's student body at a mid-sized high school scale, with enrollment relatively balanced across the four grades, plus a small cohort of ungraded students.

The student population is predominantly Black and Hispanic. The majority of students—a substantial share—qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The racial makeup is approximately half Black students and about two-fifths Hispanic students, with a small share of white and Asian students and a handful of students from other backgrounds. No data on students with disabilities or English learners were available for this school.

State academic assessment results for East Upper were not available in the data provided. Similarly, no graduation rate, chronic absenteeism figures, or proficiency comparisons to other Monroe County districts appear in the record. This gap prevents a direct read on college and career readiness outcomes or how the school performs relative to its peers in the county. A parent seeking those specifics would benefit from requesting them directly from the school or the district, particularly as the Rochester City School District navigates a period of significant structural change.

The district backdrop matters here. East Upper recently transitioned from a partnership structure with the University of Rochester—which had given the school increased operational autonomy—back to full district control as of June 2025. That governance shift affects staffing, curriculum flexibility, and resource allocation. Additionally, the district closed schools and realigned its grade structure beginning in 2024-25, reestablishing a middle-school system after years of different configurations. The district also faces sustained enrollment decline and ended federal COVID relief funding, both of which constrain resources. The Board reduced positions and tightened the overall budget substantially for 2024-25, with further projected shortfalls. These systemwide conditions shape the operational environment for any school in Rochester, including East Upper.

The city itself is experiencing downtown revitalization and new housing investment after decades of decline, with adaptive-reuse residential projects, new affordable housing, and streetscape improvements underway. The local economy centers on healthcare, higher education, and manufacturing. Housing prices in the East Rochester area are moderate, with established stock.

For a family considering East Upper, the key questions—performance data, program breadth, support for students with particular needs—would be best addressed in a conversation with the school directly, since the available record does not contain those details.

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Academic performance

How students graduate and prepare for what comes next.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

75-79%Cohort of 168 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.

Advanced Placement & IB

9 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

Sciences

Biology

1 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

History and Social Sciences

Psychology

1 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

U.S. History

12 tested

33.3%

scored 3 or higher

World Languages and Cultures

Spanish Language and Culture

15 tested

6.7%

scored 3 or higher

Spanish Literature and Culture

5 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Other

Language and Comp

28 tested · Grade 10

7.1%

scored 3 or higher

Literature and Comp

6 tested

50.0%

scored 3 or higher

U S Government and Politics

12 tested

41.7%

scored 3 or higher

World History

23 tested · Grade 10

17.4%

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	257	52.0%
Ela	240	56.0%
Science	133	24.0%
Math	86	20.0%

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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 7Lower-income1%Higher-income17%15 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income2%Higher-income7%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income1%Higher-income0%1 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income1%Higher-income0%1 pp gap