A M Cosgrove Middle School, Spencerport NY

Original Research by School Decision on A M Cosgrove Middle School

A M Cosgrove Middle School serves the early adolescent grades (six through eight) in Spencerport, a small canal village about a dozen miles west of Rochester. The school enrolls roughly students across its three grades, with a student body that is predominantly white but includes substantial representation from Hispanic and Latino families as well as smaller numbers of Black and Asian students. About a third of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a rough proxy for economic need.

Academically, the school faces real headwinds. State testing data from the most recent year show proficiency rates well below what one might expect or hope for. In mathematics, sixth-grade proficiency stands around forty percent, seventh grade barely crosses fifty percent, and eighth grade drops sharply to around fifteen percent, a notable cliff that a parent would want to investigate directly with the school. English language arts follows a similar pattern: proficiency begins in the low thirties for sixth and seventh grades and drops to around thirty percent for eighth. Science testing, available only for eighth grade, shows proficiency near thirty percent. These are low numbers across the board. The school's overall proficiency index, averaged across all tested subjects and grades, places it below the midpoint relative to other districts in Monroe County. Participation rates, particularly in eighth-grade math and science, are also low, ranging from forty to sixty-six percent depending on the subject, which may signal either absenteeism on test days or missing data and warrants clarification with the district.

The housing context in Spencerport and the surrounding town of Ogden is modest and accessible. Median home values in the zip code are moderate for the region, and the market is actively listed with reasonable inventory. Rents, too, fall in a mid-range band. The area has been growing slowly; the village population itself has remained essentially flat in recent years, while the broader town of Ogden describes itself as a growing community and adopted a comprehensive plan in 2024. The town's zoning favors lower-density residential neighborhoods and includes cluster-subdivision rules intended to preserve rural character.

The broader district context has shifted in ways families should weigh. In May 2026 voters narrowly rejected the district's proposed operating budget for the coming year—the first failure in years. The district then revised the plan downward, cutting staffing through attrition and trimming spending on clubs, classroom supplies, technology, and athletic services. A revised budget went to revote in June 2026. This signals real property-tax pressure in the community and real constraints on school programming. On a more positive note, voters did approve capital projects in December 2024 and December 2022 for facility upgrades, roofing, HVAC work, and playground replacement, so the school buildings themselves are receiving attention. Beginning in September 2025, the district also enacted a bell-to-bell ban on internet-enabled personal devices in classrooms, consistent with New York's statewide distraction-free schools law.

Cosgrove is a regular public middle school, not a charter, magnet, or specialized alternative. State assessment data were the primary available academic measure; the school's website and course-offering details were not available for review. A parent considering this school would benefit from visiting in person, reviewing the eighth-grade math trajectory directly with teachers and administrators, and understanding what support services or interventions are in place for students who are not meeting proficiency benchmarks. The combination of low proficiency rates, particularly sharp drops in eighth grade, and the recent budget pressures and program cuts suggests a school in transition and one where direct conversation with school leadership would be essential before enrollment.

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Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

2 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
Science	102	99.0%
Math	80	100.0%

Math

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 749%

School 49% · District 49%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 15% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 30%

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 35%

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

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 28% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Science

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 28% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 890%

School 90% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · even with county median

This schoolSPENCERPORT CENTRAL 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 6Lower-income11%Higher-income42%31 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income41%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income11%Higher-income35%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income16%Higher-income52%36 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income27%Higher-income61%34 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income6%Higher-income21%15 pp gap