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School 53 Montessori Academy

Public Grades PK, KG-6

2237^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,445 New York Elementary Schools

Better than 9% of New York elementary schools

Summary

School 53 Montessori Academy is an elementary school in Rochester, NY that serves grades PK-6 and has 268 students. The school is part of the Rochester City School District, which is ranked 859 out of 874 districts in New York and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Despite being a Montessori school, School 53 Montessori Academy has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of New York elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a 0 or 1-star rating.

The school's academic performance is particularly concerning, with students consistently underperforming the district and state in English Language Arts and Math proficiency. For example, in 2024-2025, only 17.95% of 3rd graders were proficient in ELA compared to 54.15% statewide. The school's strongest performance was in 6th grade ELA, where 52.63% were proficient, but this was still well below the state average. Additionally, the school's performance is low for Hispanic, White, and Special Education students, ranking in the bottom 30-40% of New York schools for these subgroups.

Despite spending significantly more per student ($36,339 in 2023-2024) compared to the district and state averages, the school has shown little to no improvement in its academic performance or rankings over the past 10 years. The school's proximity to several other low-performing Rochester City School District elementary schools, such as School 5-John Williams and School 23-Francis Parker, suggests broader systemic challenges within the district that need to be addressed to improve educational outcomes for all students.

306

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$30,158

Per pupil spending ?

72.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

353 Congress Ave
Rochester, NY 14619

(585) 325-0935

District: Rochester City School District

Racial breakdown:

African American:

66.0%

Hispanic:

17.6%

White:

6.9%

See top rated New York elementary schools

Compare School 53 Montessori Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 6th percentile in 2015 → 9th in 2025

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Rochester City School District

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New York average (23% vs 54% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!Math scores 37 pts below the New York average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg19%

New York avg54%

2,237^th of 2,445

New York public elementary schools ?

Bottom 9%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of New York Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 24Elementary Schools in the Rochester City School District

859^th of 874Rochester City School District among New York districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	13.2	2237 of 2445	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	2150 of 2445	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.0	2241 of 2439	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.3	1982 of 2434	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.9	1799 of 2201	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.5	2275 of 2413	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.7	2244 of 2395	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	8.7	2290 of 2386	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.9	2169 of 2366	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.2	2204 of 2352	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	18.1	2004 of 2345	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	17.6	2031 of 2325	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	12.5	2116 of 2320	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	17.0	1994 of 2286	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	14.5	2043 of 2263	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	37.8	1673 of 2257	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	37.9	1618 of 2227	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	43.8	1474 of 2219	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	49.0	1375 of 2206	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	19.5	798 of 928	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.7	781 of 927	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.0	701 of 857	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.2	558 of 936	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	17.9	819 of 891	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.0	833 of 948	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	13.5	2215 of 2409	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.8	2220 of 2413	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	2208 of 2403	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.8	1988 of 2401	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.7	1628 of 1955	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.3	2230 of 2357	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.4	2240 of 2338	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	11.1	1499 of 1569	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	42.0	813 of 1392	41.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	11.4	2014 of 2098	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.5	1802 of 2099	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.9	1320 of 1678	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.2	1973 of 2032	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.7	1973 of 2045	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	14.2	2202 of 2407	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.6	2051 of 2411	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.8	2124 of 2400	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.4	1872 of 2400	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.1	1813 of 1961	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.0	2150 of 2358	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	2037 of 2340	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	23.3	1802 of 2134	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.9	2005 of 2110	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	32.4	1424 of 2031	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.0	1570 of 1941	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2018	33.3	1033 of 1408	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

White (2018)27th percentile+20 vs school

Special Education (2025)16th percentile+7 vs school

African American (2025)14th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)9th percentile~ school

Female (2025)8th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)4th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs New York (2024-2025) ?

Science37%-8 vs state

English Language Arts24%-30 vs state

Math19%-37 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, October 29, 2021

Great staff and teachers who take their work seriously. Children excel at this school. i wish it would go up to 8th grade. Close Quote

Schools Near School 53 Montessori Academy

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Regents Living Environment (2025)	Regents Algebra I (2025)	NY State Assessments English Language Arts (2025)						NY State Assessments Math (2025)					NY State Assessments Science (2025)	% Completely Immunized (2020)	% Polio (2020)	% Measles (2020)	% Mumps (2020)	% Rubella (2020)	% Diphtheria (2020)	% Hepatitis B (2020)	% Varicella (2020)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Regents Living Environment End of Course	Regents Algebra I End of Course	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 4th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 3rd Grade	NY State Assessments Math 4th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 5th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 6th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 7th Grade	NY State Assessments Science 5th Grade	% Completely Immunized All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Diphtheria All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
School 53 Montessori Academy	Public	PK, KG-6	353 Congress Ave	Rochester	14619	Monroe County	Rochester City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(585) 325-0935	306	27	11.3	72.9%	21 (6.9%)	202 (66.0%)	54 (17.6%)	8 (2.6%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.2%)	13.2	2237^th of 2445 public elementary schools	8.5%		17	2150^th of 2445 public elementary schools	12.1%	87			18.0	11.8	28.6	52.6			18.0	5.9	24.1	36.8		36.7	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	$30,158	$2,476	$27,682
Dr David And Ruth Anderson Academy- School 16	Public	PK, KG-6	321 Post Ave	Rochester	14619	Monroe County	Rochester City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(585) 235-1272	430	36	11.9	85.8%	11 (2.6%)	314 (73.0%)	75 (17.4%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.6%)	9.1	2316^th of 2445 public elementary schools	5.3%		15.1	2214^th of 2445 public elementary schools	9.4%	102			11.5	38.5	20.8	20.8			35.2	28.9	7.8	25.0		15.1	99.7	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	99.7	$32,032	$2,866	$29,165
School 19-Dr Charles T Lunsford	Public	PK, KG-6	465 Seward St	Rochester	14608	Monroe County	Rochester City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(585) 328-7454	353	36	9.8	80.7%	15 (4.2%)	253 (71.7%)	57 (16.1%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.2%)	16.3	2163^rd of 2445 public elementary schools	11.5%		30.3	1738^th of 2445 public elementary schools	28.9%	425			32.4	20.8	36.1	20.5			45.7	20.0	38.5	15.8		35.9	99.4	99.4	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	99.4	100.0	$33,320	$4,871	$28,450
Rochester Prep Charter School 2	Public, Charter	K-8	432 Chili Ave	Rochester	14611	Monroe County	Rochester Prep Charter School 2	Yes	No	No	Yes	(585) 368-5090	827	27	30.9	84.3%	16 (1.9%)	608 (73.5%)	158 (19.1%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (4.8%)	34.7	1630^th of 2445 public elementary schools	33.3%		33.7	1630^th of 2445 public elementary schools	33.3%		38.6	28.1	48.2	30.6	43.7	25.8	46.2	51.2	95.2	55.1	36.4	40.5	62.2	33.7									$16,231	$2,044	$14,187
School 4-George Mather Forbes	Public	PK, KG-6	198 Dr Samuel McCree Way	Rochester	14611	Monroe County	Rochester City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(585) 235-7848	265	28	9.6	87.2%	15 (5.7%)	178 (67.2%)	52 (19.6%)	5 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.7%)	3.1	2430^th of 2445 public elementary schools	0.6%		5.2	2423^rd of 2445 public elementary schools	0.9%	7			9.4	7.4	12.1	6.9			16.7	0.0	6.1	24.1		9.1	99.2	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.7	$39,110	$3,005	$36,104
School 25-Nathaniel Hawthorne	Public	PK, KG-6	190 Reynolds St	Rochester	14608	Monroe County	Rochester City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(585) 288-3654	471	44	10.7	82.6%	36 (7.6%)	274 (58.2%)	110 (23.4%)	7 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (9.1%)	8.9	2322^nd of 2445 public elementary schools	5.0%		18.2	2115^th of 2445 public elementary schools	13.5%	207			14.3	26.8	34.0	18.5			19.0	17.2	29.6	7.7		32.7	99.3	99.7	100.0	100.0	100.0	99.3	99.7	100.0	$32,673	$2,154	$30,519
Citizenship And Science Academy Of Rochester Charter School	Public, Charter	K-4	151 E Henrietta Rd	Rochester	14620	Monroe County	Citizenship And Science Academy Of Rochester Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(585) 857-9920	361	17	21.2	83.4%	10 (2.8%)	224 (62.0%)	96 (26.6%)	7 (1.9%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (5.3%)	19.1	2104^th of 2445 public elementary schools	13.9%					(n/a)			17.9	41.4					37.5	43.7													$12,699	$4,449	$8,250
Anna Murray-Douglass Academy	Public	PK, KG-6	999 South Ave	Rochester	14620	Monroe County	Rochester City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(585) 461-3280	741	58	12.8	77.2%	78 (10.5%)	284 (38.3%)	291 (39.3%)	16 (2.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (9.4%)	9.7	2303^rd of 2445 public elementary schools	5.8%		8.9	2351^st of 2445 public elementary schools	3.8%	48			26.8	22.9	25.3	26.1			32.2	22.7	22.0	24.4		22.0	98.2	99.6	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.6	99.6	99.3	$29,684	$2,968	$26,716
School 17-Enrico Fermi	Public	PK, KG-6	158 Orchard St	Rochester	14611	Monroe County	Rochester City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(585) 436-2560	525	42	12.5	75.6%	23 (4.4%)	139 (26.5%)	337 (64.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	19 (3.6%)	1.2	2445^th of 2445 public elementary schools	0.0%		2.2	2444^th of 2445 public elementary schools	0.0%	1			10.5	5.9	8.6	3.5			11.3	1.9	1.6	0.0		3.1	99.2	99.8	99.8	99.8	99.8	100.0	100.0	99.8	$29,772	$2,275	$27,498
Genesee Community Charter School-Flour City Campus	Public, Charter	K-4	1100 S Goodman St	Rochester	14620	Monroe County	Genesee Community Charter School-Flour City Campus	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(585) 417-7020	158	13	12.3	51.3%	58 (36.7%)	59 (37.3%)	25 (15.8%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (8.9%)	48.9	1219^th of 2445 public elementary schools	50.1%					(n/a)			44.8	71.0					60.0	46.7													$15,608	$00	$15,608

Frequently Asked Questions about School 53 Montessori Academy

Is School 53 Montessori Academy a good school?

School 53 Montessori Academy ranks in the bottom 8.5% of New York elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of School 53 Montessori Academy?

Students at School 53 Montessori Academy are 66% African American, 18% Hispanic, 7% White, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of School 53 Montessori Academy attend?

Students who attend School 53 Montessori Academy usually go on to attend:

Middle : East Lower School
Middle : Northwest College Preparatory High School
High : East Upper High School
High : James Monroe Upper School
High : Rochester Early College International High School
High : School Of The Arts
High : School Without Walls

What district is School 53 Montessori Academy in?

Rochester City School District

How many students attend School 53 Montessori Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 306 students attended School 53 Montessori Academy.

Rate School 53 Montessori Academy!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the WNYC and the New York State Department of Health and the NY State Education Department.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.