Syracuse City School District

The Syracuse City School District operates 31 schools, including 19 elementary schools, 6 middle schools, and 6 high schools, serving students in the Syracuse, New York area. The district faces significant challenges, with many schools struggling to meet academic standards, but a few standout schools are able to achieve stronger results despite the district's overall difficulties.

Among the district's top performers is Syracuse Latin School, an elementary/middle school that ranks in the top 1,050 elementary schools in New York state and earns 3 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger. Another strong school is Edward Smith K-8 School, which ranks in the top 2,030 elementary schools in the state and has proficiency rates well above the district average. At the middle school level, Expeditionary Learning Middle School stands out, ranking in the top 1,170 in the state and achieving the highest proficiency rates among the district's middle schools, particularly in math.

However, the district as a whole faces significant challenges, with low graduation rates, high dropout and chronic absenteeism rates, and generally poor performance on state assessments compared to state averages. Many of the district's schools serve high-poverty student populations, which appears to be a major factor in the academic struggles. While the data reveals large disparities in performance between the highest and lowest-performing schools, the existence of bright spots like Syracuse Latin and Edward Smith K-8 suggests that high-quality instruction and support can help students succeed even in high-poverty environments.