Webster Elementary School, Syracuse NY

Original Research by School Decision on Webster Elementary School

Webster Elementary School is a public elementary school in Syracuse serving roughly a small student body spanning pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The school sits on Wadsworth Street on the city's south side, in a neighborhood that reflects Syracuse's ongoing transition from industrial past to a more mixed-use, growing community anchored now by the planned semiconductor industry expansion.

The student population is substantially economically disadvantaged. A large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school enrolls students across a broad range of racial and ethnic backgrounds, with the largest share identifying as Black, followed by white, Asian, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, and multiracial students.

Academic performance on New York State assessments shows consistent struggle across tested grades and subjects. In third-grade math, about two in five students meet proficiency. Performance drops significantly in fourth grade, where only about one in five students meet the math standard. By fifth grade, about one in seven students are proficient in math, and the picture is similar in science, where about one in five fifth graders meet standard. English language arts shows slightly better results overall, with about one in three students proficient in third and fifth grades, though fourth-grade proficiency sits near one in three as well. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among schools in Onondaga County.

The data raises questions about what academic supports are currently in place and what barriers students face. A parent may want to look into further with the school what interventions exist for students below proficiency, how the school diagnoses learning gaps, and whether there are structured tutoring, small-group instruction, or other targeted services to move students toward grade-level competency.

The school serves grades where state testing is conducted, so these results represent a real measure of current attainment. No trend data was available to show whether performance has been improving, declining, or stable over time, which would help contextualize whether the school is moving in a particular direction.

Webster's enrollment hovers near the middle range for an elementary school, with a healthy diversity of grade levels and strong attendance in testing. The school is part of Syracuse City School District, which has recently opened a new regional STEAM high school downtown and maintains ongoing facility upgrades across its buildings through a major state-financed construction program.

The broader Syracuse context is one of growth and investment. The region is preparing for a significant semiconductor manufacturing facility that will drive job creation and housing demand. Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods are experiencing conversion of older industrial buildings to residential use, and the city maintains parks, transit, and civic anchors that support family life. Housing values in the zip code are modest relative to the state, and rental costs are within reach for households with moderate income, though a substantial share of the school's families appear to be economically stretched.

For families considering Webster, the primary question is academic support. The tested performance data shows a school where most students are not meeting grade-level standards, and where performance declines notably from third to fifth grade. The school's task is clear, and a parent's focus should be on understanding what the school is doing to address this gap and whether the school has a coherent plan to raise proficiency. The school's location and enrollment of students who reflect the city's economic and demographic character offer a different profile than more affluent or selective schools in the region, but that composition alone does not explain the performance gap. What matters is whether the school has adequate staffing, training, curriculum, and time-on-task to close it.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 29% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 19% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 515%

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

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 27% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 24% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 27% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 16% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 578%

School 78% · district not reported

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

This schoolSYRACUSE 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-income28%Higher-income50%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income71%37 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income33%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income13%Higher-income43%30 pp gap