School 25-nathaniel Hawthorne, Rochester NY

Original Research by School Decision on School 25-nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne serves pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in Rochester's North Winton area, a densely residential neighborhood near the city's northwest edge. The school enrolls about small enrollment that skews toward lower elementary grades in pre-K and kindergarten; approximately middle grade students populate grades three through six. The student body is majority Black and Hispanic, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Very few students identify as white or multiracial.

State test scores in math and English language arts lag considerably. Across grades three through six, proficiency rates in math range from very low in sixth grade to somewhat higher in fifth, though still well below what families typically encounter in other districts. English language arts results follow a similar pattern, with students in third and sixth grades showing proficiency rates below ten percent. Fifth-grade performance in both subjects is the school's relative strength, but still modest. Science results, available only for fifth grade, hover in the low to mid range. When compared against other districts in Monroe County, Nathaniel Hawthorne's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. The school's testing participation rates are very high, suggesting the low scores reflect actual performance gaps rather than absences from assessment.

The neighborhood itself blends single-family residential character with green space anchored by nearby parks and the Olmsted-designed park system that defines Rochester's identity. Housing in the immediate area is modest in value but stable; the broader county housing market has seen recent modest appreciation, with median listing prices rising moderately over the past year. The area remains affordable for renters and buyers relative to national benchmarks, though mortgage rates and rent-to-income ratios suggest affordability is tighter than it was. Neighborhood foot traffic centers on local streets rather than commercial strips; the school sits in a walkable zone where families can access nearby shops and services on foot.

The Rochester City School District has undergone major structural change beginning in 2024-25, closing schools and reestablishing middle schools after operating without them for years. The district has also faced significant budget pressure from the end of federal COVID relief funding and continued enrollment decline across the system. These district-level shifts affect resource availability and staffing stability citywide. For families considering Nathaniel Hawthorne, the lower test results and the district's budget and enrollment pressures are realities to weigh alongside the school's neighborhood setting and established role in the community. A parent may want to look into the school's literacy and math support structures, staffing continuity, and any targeted improvement initiatives the school has launched in response to current performance.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 319%

School 19% · District 25% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 13% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 68%

School 8% · District 18% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 17 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 427%

School 27% · District 19% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 19% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 619%

School 19% · District 20% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Science

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 14% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 592%

School 92% · district not reported

even with state median · ▼ 1 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-income26%Higher-income33%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income38%4 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income17%Higher-income17%1 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income44%18 pp gap