Joseph C Wilson Magnet High School, Rochester NY

Original Research by School Decision on Joseph C Wilson Magnet High School

Joseph C. Wilson is a mid-sized high school serving grades nine through twelve in Rochester. The enrollment leans heavily toward Black students, with Asian and Hispanic students also making up meaningful portions of the student body; white students are a small minority here. The total enrollment shows a decline across grade levels, with fewer students in each successive year, a pattern typical of Rochester's broader enrollment trends.

State assessment data was not available for this school, so prospective families cannot see proficiency rates or academic performance rankings against other schools in Monroe County. Graduation rates were also not reported. Without these metrics, a parent would need to contact the school directly to understand how students perform on state tests or where most students go after graduation. The school website, if one exists, was not listed in the available information.

The school sits in Rochester proper, on Genesee Street, placing it in a city that is pursuing downtown revitalization after decades of population decline. Housing values in the zip code have risen modestly, and the rental market remains relatively affordable compared to the state and national benchmarks, though affordability has tightened slightly. The area is experiencing renewed development, including downtown housing growth and adaptive-reuse projects, though the broader city enrollment has contracted. This context matters because Rochester City School District has undergone major structural changes. The district closed eleven schools and reconfigured the entire grade structure beginning in the 2024-25 school year, shifting from a K-8 model back to elementary, middle, and high schools. This is the most significant district overhaul in more than a generation and directly affects where families can send their children and how the district functions.

The district also ended its educational partnership with the University of Rochester, returning some of its most prominent schools to full district control in June 2025. At the same time, the loss of federal COVID-relief funding created a significant budget contraction and the loss of positions, while enrollment projections point to further pressure ahead. These changes mean fewer staff and tighter resources across the system, a reality that shapes what schools like Wilson can offer.

No data on course offerings, special programs, AP breadth, dual-credit pathways, staffing levels, or attendance rates was available for Wilson specifically. Families considering this school would benefit from asking the district or school directly about course depth, extracurriculars, support services, and how the recent district-wide changes have affected programs and staffing at this particular building. The school's position within a district undergoing significant contraction and restructuring is a factor worth understanding in detail before enrollment.

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Academic performance

How students graduate and prepare for what comes next.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

71.0%Cohort of 212 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

16 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 AB

7 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Statistics

1 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

International Baccalaureate

Ib Biology SL

9 tested

55.6%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Design Technology SL

6 tested

16.7%

scored 3 or higher

Ib History Hl History of the Americas

19 tested

36.8%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Information Technology in a Global Society SL

2 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Language a Literature English HL

21 tested

81.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Language Ab Initio Spanish SL

8 tested

62.5%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Language B Spanish SL

10 tested

90.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Mathematics Analysis and Approaches SL

12 tested

16.7%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Mathematics Applications and Interpretation SL

4 tested

0.0%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Physics HL

7 tested

28.6%

scored 3 or higher

Ib Visual Arts SL

14 tested

92.9%

scored 3 or higher

Other

Language and Comp

38 tested · Grade 10

5.3%

scored 3 or higher

Literature and Comp

12 tested

8.3%

scored 3 or higher

World History

35 tested · Grade 10

34.3%

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
Math	321	14.0%
Social Studies	296	36.0%
Ela	246	33.0%
Science	86	10.0%

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 6Lower-income6%Higher-income0%6 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income47%Higher-income66%18 pp gap

Mathematics

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

Grade 7Lower-income50%Higher-income63%13 pp gap