by WHAM
Children’s advocates say there are stories of success in the Rochester City School District, however there exist wide differences in outcomes within the district’s various schools.
ROC the Future released its annual State of Our Children report, which focuses on crucial achievements and needs for students in the school district.
The report found significant gains for overall graduation rates within the district, with a 63% graduation rate in 2018, and a projected 68% in 2020 – up 20 points from 2013. Four high schools graduated more than 80% of their students. There was, however, a caveat.
“Many of Rochester’s schools are succeeding and preparing their students well for life after high school. However, the largest high school graduated only 52% of their students, and the lowest school graduated 30%,” explained Stephanie Townsend of ROC the Future. “We have to make sure that all children, no matter what school they attend, no matter where they live, succeed, and we look forward to working with the Rochester City School District on this goal that I know we all share.”
The report found significant variations building-to-building when it came to elements such as student proficiency on exams and the level of support students say they’re receiving in the classroom and at home. Townsend said the report shows supports at elementary and secondary support varies per school, while adolescents reported less of a sense of support in-school and in the community.
“We are concerned that in 2019, only six out of ten teenagers said that they receive a lot of encouragement at school, and only slightly more than five out of ten said that they feel like they matter to people in the community,” said Townsend. “Every one of us should take those numbers as a wake-up call. We must, all of us, support our youth and especially our teenagers.”
For more information on the report, click here.