Expeditionary Learning Middle School, Syracuse NY

Original Research by School Decision on Expeditionary Learning Middle School

Expeditionary Learning Middle School is a small public middle school in Syracuse that serves students in grades six through eight. Located on the South Salina Street corridor on the south side, the school enrolls a diverse student body with substantial economic need. A significant majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and students reflect Syracuse's racial and ethnic diversity.

The school operates as a regular public school within the Syracuse City School District, which is currently in a major growth phase driven by Micron Technology's planned semiconductor campus in nearby Clay and the opening of a new STEAM High School downtown in 2025. The district is also in the midst of a multiphase facilities improvement program with state reimbursement, meaning ongoing building upgrades across the system.

State test results show proficiency rates that fall below the midpoint for districts in Onondaga County across both math and ELA. In math, proficiency rates cluster in the low-to-mid range across the three grades tested. Grade six shows a modest level of proficiency; grade seven is modestly higher; grade eight drops considerably, though participation data for that cohort is notably lower. ELA proficiency mirrors this pattern, with grades six and seven in similar ranges and grade eight lower. Science data are available only for grade eight and are sparse. The overall proficiency index places the school in the bottom quartile of county districts.

A parent evaluating this school should understand that these test results reflect academic performance that trails most peer schools in the county. The school's small size and grade-band structure mean it serves only middle grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. The lower participation rate in eighth-grade math in particular is worth asking the school about directly, as it may signal student mobility, alternative placement, or other factors that the numbers alone do not explain.

The school's name reflects an expeditionary learning pedagogy, an instructional approach emphasizing active, project-based, field-based learning. Parents interested in this philosophy might ask what expeditionary units the school is running and how they connect to the state curriculum. The district's investment in STEAM programming and its calendar changes reflecting the city's refugee and immigrant communities suggest an orientation toward hands-on, culturally responsive education, though how that translates into classroom experience at this specific school would be worth exploring in conversation with staff.

Syracuse itself is entering a growth period after decades of stagnation, with housing demand rising and downtown residential conversions underway. The housing market in the area shows modest median values with recent appreciation, and the city's walkable neighborhoods like downtown and near Syracuse University sit a short distance from this school's location.

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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	40	40.0%
Math	22	95.0%

Math

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 13% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 745%

School 45% · District 18% · ▲ 27 pts above district

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

Grade 827%

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

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

English language arts

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 19% · ▲ 19 pts above district

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

Grade 741%

School 41% · District 22% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 25% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 15% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 822%

School 22% · district not reported

▼ 56 pts below state median · ▼ 61 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 6Lower-income35%Higher-income50%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income28%Higher-income72%45 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income25%Higher-income67%42 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income37%Higher-income50%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income38%Higher-income61%24 pp gap