The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in Science. The lowest is 21% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Rockdale Academy
Rockdale Academy serves about half the student population of a typical elementary school for its grade band. It enrolls students from preschool through sixth grade in Cincinnati's CPS district, in a regular public school setting without charter or magnet designation, located on Rockdale Avenue in the 45229 zip code.
The student body is predominantly Black, reflecting the neighborhood's composition, with smaller shares of multiracial, Hispanic, and white students, and a very small Asian enrollment. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch and special education enrollment data were not available. The school's grade-level composition is fairly even across the band, with slightly larger groups in the early grades and in sixth grade.
On the most recent state tests covering grades three through six, Rockdale Academy's results show weaker proficiency across assessed subjects. In English language arts, a little under a third of students scored at the proficient level or above. In math, about one in five students met the state's proficiency bar. Science, which was assessed at a smaller sample of students, showed about half meeting proficiency, the strongest result on the slate. Social studies data from an older year showed uneven performance by grade. When looking across Cincinnati Public Schools' district members, Rockdale Academy sits in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency as a school. A parent may want to ask the school directly about what literacy supports are in place: the district has recently adopted a structured reading approach grounded in the science of reading and trained teachers in foundational skills instruction, and it would be worth understanding how those supports apply to Rockdale's classrooms.
The school's grade band means there is no graduation rate or secondary pathway data. No information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, attendance, staffing levels, or specialized programs was available for this school.
Cincinnati itself is a city of dense neighborhoods with distinct character, defined by hills and the Ohio River. The central core—Downtown, Over-the-Rhine, and The Banks entertainment district—is walkable with a free streetcar connecting neighborhoods. Civic life centers downtown: parks, museums, Fountain Square, stadiums, and the University of Cincinnati uptown form anchors. The housing market is moderate. Homes in the 45229 zip code where the school sits have a median listing price in the mid-range for Hamilton County, with modest year-over-year movement. Monthly rent in the area is in the low to mid-range.
Cincinnati Public Schools operates across the city without a dedicated campus. The district recently stabilized its operating funding through a renewed levy that locks in annual support for preschool expansion and core K-12 operations, including neighborhood school options and college and career readiness programs. However, the district closed a substantial budget gap for the 2025-26 school year by eliminating more than several dozen classroom positions and cutting administrative, maintenance, and security roles. These reductions directly affect staffing levels and service delivery in schools. On the curriculum side, CPS has made a significant shift in early literacy instruction, adopting a structured reading curriculum and training teachers in foundational skills aligned with Ohio's emphasis on the science of reading; third-grade reading proficiency rose by several percentage points in the first year of that effort.
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