School 8-roberto Clemente, Rochester NY

Original Research by School Decision on School 8-roberto Clemente

Roberto Clemente School 8 serves preK through grade 8 in Rochester, a mid-sized city anchored by healthcare, higher education, and advanced manufacturing. The school enrolls a modest student population with substantial economic need: a high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the enrollment is roughly split between Black and Hispanic students, with smaller populations of other racial and ethnic groups.

The academic picture is a significant concern. State testing results from the most recent year show very low proficiency across subjects. In mathematics, proficiency ranged from near zero in grade 4 to single-digit percentages in grades 3 and 5, with grade 6 at roughly one in six students meeting standard. English language arts proficiency was similarly low, ranging from around one in ten students in grades 4 and 5 to roughly one in seven in grades 3 and 6. Science testing in grade 5 showed proficiency at roughly one in twenty-five students. These results place the school well below the midpoint of schools measured within Monroe County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, specifically asking about instructional support, intervention strategies, and whether assessment results reflect the broader student experience.

The district itself has undergone major structural change. Beginning in the school year the data reflects, the Rochester City School District closed eleven schools and reconfigured its grade structure to separate elementary, middle, and high schools. The district ended its partnership with the University of Rochester that had governed some schools with greater autonomy, returning those schools to full district control. Federal COVID-relief funding ended, driving a substantial budget decrease and staffing cuts. The district has also faced steady enrollment decline. These changes create both disruption and potential for reorientation, but signal a district in fiscal stress with fewer resources than in prior years.

Roberto Clemente's location on St. Paul Street places it in a city neighborhood with established residential blocks, where downtown Rochester sits about a short distance away. The city itself is pursuing revitalization after decades of decline, with recent investment in downtown housing, parks, and public spaces. The local housing market shows modest values and rents, with home prices well below state and national benchmarks. The economy relies on large employers in healthcare and higher education; unemployment is modest. Public transit via the Regional Transit Service bus network connects neighborhoods throughout the county.

The school itself offers no specialized programs or alternative structure noted in the available data. It is a regular public elementary and middle school operating within the district system. Data on staffing, attendance, discipline, or course offerings beyond the state-tested core subjects was not available. The school does not have a graduation rate or high school outcomes to report, as it serves only through grade 8.

For a family considering this school, the most pressing reality is the academic proficiency data. The testing results are substantially below what would be expected and suggest students are not acquiring grade-level skills at the rate the state requires. Whether this reflects resource constraints, instructional approach, or population factors requires direct conversation with school and district leadership. The broader context of district reconfiguration and budget pressure also means the school's staffing and program stability may remain uncertain in the near term.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 32%

School 2% · District 25% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 57 pts below state median · ▼ 44 pts below county median

Grade 40%

School 0% · District 17% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 58 pts below state median · ▼ 45 pts below county median

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 13% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 49 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 617%

School 17% · District 18% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 314%

School 14% · District 22% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 410%

School 10% · District 19% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 43 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 19% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 47 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 613%

School 13% · District 20% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Science

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 14% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 569%

School 69% · district not reported

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

This schoolROCHESTER CITY 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.