Rochester City School District has begun reorganizing its elementary, middle and high schools into a two-tiered system comprised of elementary (grades pre-K to 6) and secondary (grades 7-12) facilities. The redesign is expected to provide a more stable learning environment for students, alleviate overcrowding, and help develop a strong base for increased academic achievement.
Despite challenges such as high poverty rates and student mobility, Rochester's public school system was ranked among the ten best in the U.S. by Places Rated Almanac . Fourteen Rochester elementary schools were named among the state's most improved in language arts or math in 2005; and Newsweek listed Wilson Magnet High School 49th among the nation's top 100 high schools based on advanced curriculum.
The following is a summary of data regarding the Rochester public schools as of the 2003–2004 school year.
Total enrollment: 35,659
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 39
secondary schools: 16
Student/teacher ratio: 11:1
Teacher salaries
average: $41,825
Funding per pupil: $12,552
The Rochester City School District also supports approximately 200 private, parochial and charter schools, urban-suburban sites, and home-based schools.
Public Schools Information: Rochester City School District, 131 West Broad Street, Rochester, NY 14614; telephone (585)262-8100
Rochester's best-known institution of higher education is the University of Rochester, which includes the renowned Eastman School of Music, the School of Medicine and Dentistry, the School of Nursing, and the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration, considered one of the best in the country.
Rochester Institute of Technology offers graduate and undergraduate degrees, certificates and diplomas through its eight colleges. The school is internationally known for its College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, School for American Crafts, and National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
Monroe Community College offers 83 professional degree and certificate programs; students may also transfer to a four-year institution. Other post-secondary facilities in the city include Rochester Business Institute, St. John Fisher College, Nazareth College of Rochester, and Roberts Wesleyan College.
The Rochester Public Library System is made up of the Central Library and ten branch libraries, with a yearly circulation of nearly 1.7 million titles. The Central Library, housed in the Bausch and Lomb Public Library Building and the Rundel Memorial Library Building, includes a reading garden, children's center, and meeting space; special collections are maintained on such topics as art, business, education, history, local history, science and technology. The Toy Resource Center at the Lincoln Branch offers educational toys for infants, young children, and children with special needs. Rochester Public Library is part of the Monroe County Library System.
Among the dozens of special libraries in Rochester are the collections of the Rochester Institute of Technology on the topics of chemistry, graphic arts, deafness, and printing technology, and Eastman Kodak's collection on various topics, including business, photography, chemistry, engineering, health and environment, and computer science. More than a dozen libraries are operated by the University of Rochester, focusing on such topics as Asian history and literature, chemistry, art history, music, engineering, geology, laser energetics, management, microcomputers, astronomy, and medicine. The University maintains an extensive rare book collection dating from the seventh century. The Sibley Musical Library at the University of Rochester is one of very few libraries in the country devoted exclusively to music.
The International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House contains a large research library of more than 43,000 volumes on photography and cinematography and special collection of rare books and images. Visual Studies Workshop maintains a research library on the topic of contemporary imaging. The Rochester Civic Garden Center has a 4,000-volume library dedicated to horticulture.
The concentration of scientists and technicians engaged in research in Rochester is said to place the region on a par with California's Silicon Valley. A major center for this activity is the University of Rochester, which has committed funding for the construction of new biotechnology research facilities. Among the more than two dozen other research facilities at the University are the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, the Rochester Theory Center for Optical Science and Engineering, and the Wireless Communication and Networking Group.
More than a dozen research centers at the Rochester Institute of Technology conduct studies in such areas as user-controlled video applications, imaging sciences, microelectronic and computer engineering applications, printing, and photographic preservation.
Public Library Information: Rochester Public Library, 115 South Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604; telephone (585)428-7300