The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Rome Free Academy
Rome Free Academy is the sole comprehensive high school in Rome City School District, enrolling about one thousand five hundred students across grades nine through twelve. The school sits on a separated campus on the eastern side of Rome, classified by federal data as a Town, Fringe locale, near the Griffiss Business and Technology Park. It is a regular public high school, not a charter.
The student body mirrors Rome's working-class and economically varied character. A little over half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. In racial and ethnic composition, the school is predominantly white, with a substantial Black presence, and meaningful Hispanic representation. Data on students with Individualized Education Plans and English learners was not available, so parents may want to ask the school directly about these support services.
State assessment data for this school is incomplete. New York State testing data for seventh grade math and English language arts show zero proficiency rates; however, the school serves grades nine through twelve, so no state assessment results are available for the grades this school actually teaches. This is a gap in standard accountability metrics. A parent may want to ask the school, the district, or the state directly about how proficiency is tracked at the high school level in New York.
Compared to other districts in Oneida County, Rome Free Academy's proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile where data could be computed. Without graduation rate or attendance data in the file, a fuller picture of student outcomes requires looking beyond this summary. The school's website and a conversation with the administration would clarify what academic pathways, course breadth, and student services the school offers.
The district context matters. Rome is a mid-sized city in the geographic center of New York State, formerly anchored by copper manufacturing and the Griffiss Air Force Base. Since the base closure in the mid-1990s, the city has reoriented around defense contracting, high-tech work, healthcare, education, and retail. Recent development signals upward momentum: a major yogurt manufacturer announced a sizable manufacturing facility at Griffiss in 2025, paired with new mixed-rate housing projects. Downtown Rome has undergone revitalization, connected to parks and schools by the Mohawk River Trail.
Within the district, facility disruptions have shaped the recent landscape. A flood in August 2021 closed Staley Elementary School, dispersing students and straining other elementary buildings. In February 2025 the board voted narrowly to purchase and renovate the former Rome Catholic School as a replacement elementary school, a project requiring voter approval and carrying an estimated cost and multi-year timeline. This remains an open district decision that may affect elementary enrollment and capacity for years.
The district also faced a budget defeat in May 2026 when voters narrowly rejected the proposed 2026-2027 spending plan. The board then cut the budget and reduced the proposed tax-levy increase, removing an administrative position rather than classroom programs. This tax-levy tension directly shapes what families will pay in property taxes going forward.
On the positive side, the district completed a capital project approved by voters in 2022, which included a new artificial-turf athletics complex at Rome Free Academy. The school no longer relies on off-site fields for outdoor sports, a tangible facility upgrade for student athletes.
For a family weighing Rome Free Academy, the clearest questions are the school's course offerings, AP or dual-enrollment pathways, college placement record, and how the school serves students who need academic or special-education support. The state testing data gap for high school grades is a real limitation in what this brief can show, and conversations with school leadership about curriculum breadth, career programs, and outcomes would fill that space.
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