School 17-enrico Fermi, Rochester NY

Original Research by School Decision on School 17-enrico Fermi

Enrico Fermi is a regular public elementary and middle school in Rochester serving pre-K through eighth grade, with an enrollment drawn almost entirely from the immediate neighborhood. Most students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, with substantial Black enrollment and small shares of other groups. The school sits at 158 Orchard Street in a zip code where median home values are below the state benchmark and rents are modest relative to area income.

The academic picture here is very weak. State testing data from the most recent school year shows proficiency rates in math and English language arts that fall far below what the state expects, with fewer than one in ten students scoring at proficient or above in most grades tested. In third-grade math, about one in nine students met the standard; in fourth and fifth grade, proficiency dropped to roughly one in fifty. By sixth grade, no students met the math proficiency threshold. English language arts results followed a similar trajectory, with proficiency rates ranging from low single digits to low double digits. A science assessment in fifth grade showed proficiency near zero. The one data point that breaks this pattern is a social studies assessment from 2009, now well over a decade old, which is not a reliable current indicator. When compared to other schools within Monroe County, Enrico Fermi's proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile.

These results suggest students are entering middle grades significantly below grade-level expectations in foundational skills. A parent considering this school would want to understand what intervention or support strategies the school and district have in place, whether there are tutoring or remediation programs available, and how the school measures progress beyond state tests. The recent major district reconfiguration, which reestablished middle schools and realigned grade bands beginning in 2024-25, means the school's structure and staffing may still be stabilizing.

The broader context matters here as well. Rochester City School District has faced substantial headwinds: the loss of federal COVID-relief funding, ongoing enrollment decline, and closure of eleven schools districtwide. Enrico Fermi was not among the schools closed in the reconfiguration, but the district-wide contraction in resources and staff touches every school. The neighborhood surrounding the school reflects significant economic need, with a majority of families qualifying for subsidized meals and housing values substantially below state levels.

The school does maintain a presence on Orchard Street in a walkable part of Rochester, within a city that is pursuing downtown revitalization and has anchors like parks and transit. That physical stability is an asset, though it does not by itself address the academic gap evident in the test data. For families seeking a public elementary and middle school option in this part of Rochester, Enrico Fermi is available and open. Understanding whether it offers the academic support a student needs would require direct conversation with the school about its curriculum, intervention programs, staffing, and any specialized supports for students performing significantly below grade level.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 311%

School 11% · District 25% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 42%

School 2% · District 17% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 13% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 18% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 311%

School 11% · District 22% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 46%

School 6% · District 19% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 47 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 59%

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

▼ 46 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 64%

School 4% · District 20% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 53%

School 3% · District 14% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 565%

School 65% · district not reported

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 28 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income7%Higher-income0%6 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income4%Higher-income0%4 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income2%Higher-income0%2 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income0%Higher-income0%0 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income0%Higher-income0%0 pp gap