Rochester City School District

The Rochester City School District is a public school district that serves approximately 21,000 students in the city of Rochester, New York. The Rochester City School District spends approximately $30,972 per student in the 2024-2025 school year. This cost is based on the district's adopted budget of $1,071,659,143 and a student enrollment of 34,601, according to the district's website. This is, according to Census Bureau data, more than the New York State average of $29,873 per student, and much higher than the national average of $15,633 per student.

WWW rcsdk12.org 𝕏 rcsdnys FB RCSDNYS

Organization

The school district is run by a board of education that sets school policy and approves school spending. The board hires a superintendent under contract to carry out its policies.

Board of education

The board of education consists of seven members, elected biennially, who serve staggered four-year terms.
The current board members are:

Cynthia Elliott, President
*Board Liaison to: Abraham Lincoln School No. 22, Dr. Alice Holloway Young School of Excellence, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School No. 9, Franklin Lower and Upper Schools, Leadership Academy for Young Men, Rochester International Academy
*Term Expires: December 2025
Beatriz LeBron, Vice President
*Board Liaison to: All City High, James Monroe Lower and Upper Schools, Clara Barton School No. 2, Virgil I. Grissom School No. 7, Anna Murray-Douglass Academy School No. 12, Children's School of Rochester School No. 15, Dr. Charles T. Lunsford School School No. 19, Adlai E. Stevenson School No. 29
*Term Expires: December 2028
Isaiah Santiago, Commissioner
*Board Liaison to: Northeast College Preparatory High School, Northwest Junior High, Wilson Foundation Academy, Roberto Clemente School No. 8, Dr. Walter Cooper Academy School No. 10, John Walton Spencer School School No. 16, Pinnacle School No. 35, Andrew J. Townson School No. 39, and Rochester Early Childhood Education Center
*Term Expires: December 2028
Amy Maloy, Commissioner
*Board Liaison to: LyncX Academy, Home Hospital Instruction, NorthSTAR, School of the Arts, John Williams School No. 5, Dr. Louis A. Cerulli School No. 34, Montessori Academy School School No. 53, World of Inquiry School School No. 58
*Term Expires: December 2028
James Patterson, Commissioner
*Board Liaison to: OACES Program, Youth and Justice Program, Enrico Fermi School No. 17, Charles Carroll School No. 46, Helen Barrett Montgomery School No. 50, Flower City School No. 54
*Term Expires: December 2025
Jaqueline Griffin, Commissioner
*Board Liaison to: School Without Walls, Francis Parker School No. 23, Nathaniel Hawthorne School No. 25, Henry Hudson School No. 28, John James Audubon School No. 33, Mary McLeod Bethune School No. 45, Frank Fowler Dow School No. 52
*Term Expires: December 2028
Camille Simmons, Commissioner
*Board Liaison to: Edison Career & Technology High School, P-Tech Pathways to Technology at Edison, Joseph C. Wilson Magnet High School, Rochester Early College International High School, Rochester Preschool Parent Program, Rise Community School No. 106, George Mather Forbes School No. 4, Abelard Reynolds School No. 42
*Term Expires: December 2025

Superintendent and supporting team

Name	Tenure	Name	Tenure
Isaac F. Mack	1841–1845	John M. Franco	March 1, 1971 – June 16, 1971 June 17, 1971 – 1980
Samuel L. Selden	January 1, 1846 – November 1, 1846	Laval Wilson	1980 – 1985
Belden R. McAlpine	November 2, 1846 – 1847	Peter J. McWalters	1985 1986–1992
Daniel Holbrook	1847–1850 1857–1858 1862–1864	Manuel J. Rivera	1992–1994 September 1, 2002 – April 30, 2007
Reuben D. Jones	1850–1856	Loretta Johnson	1994–1995
Isaac S. Hobbie	1856–1857	Clifford B. Janey	1995 – August 31, 2002
Philip H. Curtis	1858–1861	William C. Cala	2007 – December 31, 2007
Charles N. Simmons	1864–1869 1876–1878 1881–1882	Jean-Claude Brizard	January 1, 2008 – May 13, 2011
Sylvanus A. Ellis	1869–1875 1882–1892	Bolgen T. Vargas	May 16, 2011 – December 31, 2015
Alonzo L. Mabbett	1878–1881	Daniel G. Lowengard	January 1 – 15, 2016
Milton Noyes	1892–1900	Linda L. Cimusz	January 18, 2016 – July 2016
Charles B. Gilbert	1901–1909	Barbara Deane Williams	August 8, 2016 – January 31, 2019
Clarence F. Carroll	1903–1911	Daniel G. Lowengard	February 1, 2019 – June 2019
Herbert S. Weet	1911–1933	Terry J. Dade	July 2019 – May 2020
James M. Spinning	1934 – November 1, 1954	Lesli C. Myers-Small	May 2020 – September 2022
Howard C. Seymour	November 1, 1954 – December 31, 1960	Carmine Peluso	September 2022 - January 2023 January 2023 - June 2024
James S. Wishart	January 1, 1961 – August 31, 1961	Demario Strickland	June 2024 - June 2025
Robert L. Springer	September 1, 1961 – May 31, 1963	PENDING Eric J. Rosser	PENDING July 2025 -
Herman R. Goldberg	June 1, 1963 – July 31, 1963 August 1, 1963 – March 1, 1971		-

Facilities

Schools

In 2024, the district completed a grade-level and school reconfiguration. Elementary Schools are grades PK-6, Middle Schools are grades 7-8, and High Schools are grades 9-12.

Pre-Kindergarten Centers

Florence S. Brown PreK Center at School No. 33, Program Administrator - Dr. Eileen Eller
Rochester Early Childhood Education Center NE, Director - Lisa Whitlow
Rochester Preschool Parent Program, Director - Rebecca Boyle

Elementary schools

George Mather Forbes School No. 4, Principal - Karon Jackson, Assistant Principal - Delores Davis
John Williams School No. 5, Principal - Tiffany Lee, Assistant Principals - George Lombrado
Virgil I. Grissom School No. 7, Principal - David Lincoln, Assistant Principal - Mark Wilkins
Roberto Clemente School No. 8, Principal - Stephanie Thompson, Assistant Principals - Andrew Grantham
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School No. 9, Principal - Sharon Jackson, Assistant Principals - Burnice Green and Maria Ortiz-Viera
Anna Murray-Douglass Academy No. 12, Principal - Anthony Rodriquez, Assistant Principals - Margaret Crowley and Faith Hart
The Children's School of Rochester No. 15, - Principal - Jay Piper, Assistant Principal - Chanta Willis
Dr. David and Ruth Anderson School No. 16, Principal - Ryan Clair, Assistant Principal - Eileen Kalbfus
Enrico Fermi School No. 17, Principal - Damaris Saltares, Assistant Principals - David Dorsey and Meybhol Spaienza
Dr. Charles T. Lunsford School No. 19, Principal -Andrea Lee, Assistant Principal - Elizabeth Cross
Abraham Lincoln School No. 22, Principal - Clinton Bell, Assistant Principal - Michele White
Francis Parker School No. 23, Principal - Kathryn Yarlett-Fenti, Assistant Principal - Carla Roberts
Nathaniel Hawthorne School No. 25, Principal - Adrienne Steflik, Assistant Principal - Melody Bishop
Henry Hudson School No. 28, Principal - Susan Ladd, Assistant Principals - Brenda Harrington and Jenny Blaise-Schmidt
John James Audubon School No. 33, Principal - Lisa Garrow, Assistant Principals - Eileen Eller, Kristal Haines, Michelle Killings, and Lisa Prtichard
Ida B. Wells-Barnett Elementary School No. 34, Principal - Akilah Collins, Assistant Principal - Mia Sinclair
Pinnacle School No. 35, Principal - Valerie L Holberton, Assistant Principal - Maria Petrella
Abelard Reynolds School No. 42, Principal - Deborah Washington, Assistant Principal - Vaughn Collins
Mary McLeod Bethune School No. 45, Principal - Christine Manuele-Turnquist, Assistant Principal - Patricia Brockler and Jody Durick
Austin Steward School No. 46, Principal - Gina DiTullio, Assistant Principal - Katelyn Clark
Helen Barrett Montgomery School No. 50, Principal - Lakisha Taylor, Assistant Principal - Felecia Drysdale and Lynda Mortis
Frank Fowler Dow School No. 52, Principal - Richard Smith, Assistant Principal - Redell Freeman
Montessori Academy School No. 53, Principal - Djinga St. Louis, Assistant Principal - Elisa Ruise
The Flower City School No. 54, Principal - Demitria Lawton-Greggs, Assistant Principal - Stacey Sookram
World of Inquiry School No. 58, Principal - Callie Andler, Assistant Principals - Stephen Campe, Megan Comstock, Jessica Flanders

Middle Schools

Andrew Langston Middle School, Principal - Wakili Moore, Assistant Principal - Ajoua Jackson, Adam Rodger
Dr. Freddie Thomas Middle School, Principal - Stephanie Harris, Assistant Principals - Terry Richards, Catherine Tesoriero
East Lower School, Principal - LeAndrew Wingo, Assistant Principals - Jeffrey Halsdorfer, and Joseph Saia
Loretta Johnson Middle School, Principal - Moniek Silas-Lee, Assistant Principals - Yarritza Delgado and Thomas Anderson
Northwest Junior High at Douglass, Principal - Rodney Moore, Assistant Principals - Kathleen Orem and Alexci Reyes
Thurgood Marshall Middle School, Principal - Nakia Burrows, Assistant Principals- Carey Belair and William Hucks

Secondary schools

East Upper School, Principal - Caterina Leone-Mannino, Freshman Academy Director - Deon Rodgers, Freshman Academy Assistant Principal - Callie Andler, Grades 10-12 Assistant Principals - Akua Kankam, Stephanie Bliss-Walker, and Michele Sadik
Edison Career & Technology High School, Principal - LaCassa Felton, Assistant Principals - Pina Buonomo, Steve Humphry, Heidi Jackson, Jerome Vacca, Michael Samuel
James Monroe Upper School, Principal - Jason Muhammad, Assistant Principals - Anthony Bianchi, Bernadette Regan, and Reyita Perez
Joseph C. Wilson Magnet High School, Principal - Gary Reynolds, Assistant Principals - Chantal Lischer, Kimberly Brown, and Timothy Graziano
Padilla High School at the Franklin Campus, Principal - Adam Rodger, Academy Director - Kristin Pryor
Rochester Early College International High School, Principal - Sean Coffey

, Assistant Principals - Jennifer Monroe-DeWitz, Abraham Steiner, Hedli Jackson and David Dorsey

School of the Arts, Principal - Alan Tirre, Assistant Principals - Samantha Brody, Brian Chandler, and Elimy Buss, Athletic Director - Richard Roche, Arts Center Director - Andrea Gregoire
School Without Walls, Principal - Aylin Rodriguez, Assistant Principal - Jennifer DeFranco

School and alternative programs

All City High, Principal - Armando Ramirez, Assistant Principal - Megan Brady-Onisk, Academy Director - Susen Hart
Family Learning Center at OACES - Program Administrator - Paul Burke
Home Hospital Instruction, Director - Christopher Smith
LyncX Academy, Director - Christopher Smith
NorthSTAR Program, Director of Alternative Education Programs - James Nunez
Rochester International Academy, Principal - Mary Andrecolich-Montesano
Youth & Justice, Director - Christopher Smith

Former schools

Charlotte High School - closed 2016
John Marshall High School - closed 2014
Clara Barton School No. 2 - Closed 2024
Dr. Walter Cooper Academy School No. 10 - Closed 2024
Adlai E. Stevenson School No. 29 - Closed 2024
Andrew J. Townson School No. 39 - Closed 2024
Leadership Academy for Young Men High School - Closed 2022
Martin B. Anderson School No. 1 - Closed 2017

Performance

In 2019, the Rochester City School District was ranked the 3rd worst school district in upstate New York, and in 2017 it was ranked the 8th worst in New York State.
In 2007, the New York State Education Department named 14 Rochester elementary schools among the state's "most improved" schools in English language arts and/or math. Newsweek ranked Wilson Magnet High School 49th among the nation's top 100 high schools based on advanced curriculum.
The Children's Institute, a non-profit children's advocacy organization, has ranked the district's pre-K program one of the best in the nation.

Configuration redesign

In 2003, a plan to redesign the grade-level configuration was approved by the board of education. It changed the district from one of elementary schools, middle schools and high schools to one of elementary schools and secondary schools. The plan was implemented in stages over four years.

Media coverage

Given the district's continued struggles there has been much local media coverage analyzing the district from varying perspectives, and most recently this has been done through the Democrat and Chronicle's Time to Educate Series. The motto of this media initiative is "Something. Must. Change." In 2018 the editorial board of that paper wrote "It is time to declare an emergency".