Is Senator James H Donovan Middle School a good school?

Senator James H Donovan Middle School ranks 1083 rd of 1504 New York middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Senator James H Donovan Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 730 students attended Senator James H Donovan Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Senator James H Donovan Middle School?

Students at Senator James H Donovan Middle School are 27% African American, 24% Asian, 24% Hispanic, 18% White, 8% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Senator James H Donovan Middle School attend?

Students who attend Senator James H Donovan Middle School usually go on to attend Thomas R Proctor High School

Senator James H Donovan Middle School

Summary:

Senator James H Donovan Middle School is a public magnet middle school serving grades 7-8 in Utica, New York, with an enrollment of 730 students. The school is part of the Utica City School District, which is ranked 770 out of 865 school districts in New York and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Senator James H Donovan Middle School consistently performs below the state and district averages on New York State Assessments in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. For example, in 2023-2024, only 30.68% of 7th graders and 46.94% of 8th graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state averages of 49.56% and 51.88%, respectively. The school's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups, with Asian students ranking 342 out of 396 New York middle schools, while English Language Learner students ranked 168 out of 615 schools. Additionally, the school has very high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, ranging from 83.7% in 2022-2023 to 93.04% in 2020-2021, indicating a high concentration of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.

Despite the school's overall academic challenges, it has shown exceptional performance on Regents exams, with 97.44% of students proficient or better in Living Environment and 100% proficient or better in Algebra I in 2023-2024. When compared to other middle schools in the surrounding area, such as John F. Kennedy Middle School, which is also in the Utica City School District, Senator James H Donovan Middle School generally performs worse academically. However, the school's fluctuating performance over time suggests that there may be opportunities for improvement and targeted interventions to support student learning.

Detail:

Public, Magnet 7-8

1701 Noyes St
Utica, NY 13502-3895

(315) 368-6541

District: Utica City School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1083^rd of 1,504 New York Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,930

Students who attend Senator James H Donovan Middle School usually attend:

High:

Thomas R Proctor High School

Feeder schools for Senator James H Donovan Middle School:

Elementary:	Hugh R Jones Elementary School
	John F Hughes Elementary School
	Kernan Elementary School
	Watson Williams Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.3

Number of students: 730

Racial breakdown:

African American:

27.3%

Asian:

23.8%

Hispanic:

23.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 83.7%

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Compare Senator James H Donovan Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Senator James H Donovan Middle School ranks worse than 72% of middle schools in New York. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 31.9. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Senator James H Donovan Middle School is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (27.3%), Asian (23.8%), Hispanic (23.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 83.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Senator James H Donovan Middle School is 11.3. (See more...)

Compare Senator James H Donovan Middle School employs 64.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Senator James H Donovan Middle School is $13,930.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Senator James H Donovan Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Senator James H Donovan Middle School 1083^rd of 1504 New York public middle schools. (See Senator James H Donovan Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Utica City School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Utica City School District 770^th of 865 New York school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Senator James H Donovan Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Senator James H Donovan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2006	26.79	848^th	1095	22.6%
2007	23.93	893^rd	1123	20.5%
2008	23.83	951^st	1185	19.7%
2009	23.88	986^th	1224	19.4%
2010	22.31	980^th	1243	21.2%
2011	20.88	1046^th	1295	19.2%
2012	27.10	1024^th	1337	23.4%
2013	23.62	1061^st	1373	22.7%
2014	19.90	1152^nd	1401	17.8%
2015	26.75	1054^th	1407	25.1%
2016	28.32	1059^th	1429	25.9%
2017	22.67	1190^th	1455	18.2%
2018	26.95	1092^nd	1438	24.1%
2019	27.21	1071^st	1439	25.6%
2021	14.76	1139^th	1242	8.3%
2022	24.41	1189^th	1479	19.6%
2023	32.31	1056^th	1500	29.6%
2024	31.90	1083^rd	1504	28.0%

See the entire list of New York Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Senator James H Donovan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2021	19.03	80^th	95	15.8%
2022	19.43	153^rd	190	19.5%
2023	29.55	145^th	208	30.3%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Senator James H Donovan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	45.41	220^th	503	56.3%
2019	43.25	201^st	473	57.5%
2021	19.52	99^th	118	16.1%
2022	54.36	174^th	581	70.1%
2023	48.94	214^th	591	63.8%
2024	54.75	168^th	615	72.7%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Senator James H Donovan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	30.73	923^rd	1170	21.1%
2019	25.16	1021^st	1139	10.4%
2021	15.38	504^th	522	3.4%
2022	23.85	1163^rd	1283	9.4%
2023	25.45	1095^th	1307	16.2%
2024	29.90	971^st	1303	25.5%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Senator James H Donovan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	36.05	814^th	1245	34.6%
2019	34.71	811^th	1241	34.6%
2021	22.40	817^th	935	12.6%
2022	27.52	1032^nd	1306	21.0%
2023	36.75	860^th	1288	33.2%
2024	36.38	843^rd	1296	35.0%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Senator James H Donovan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2022	36.34	319^th	487	34.5%
2023	35.89	367^th	543	32.4%
2024	36.41	390^th	594	34.3%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Senator James H Donovan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	28.38	1044^th	1353	22.8%
2019	27.01	1048^th	1370	23.5%
2021	12.43	1006^th	1066	5.6%
2022	26.02	1150^th	1454	20.9%
2023	36.63	971^st	1463	33.6%
2024	32.51	1046^th	1465	28.6%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Foster Care students at Senator James H Donovan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	10.93	2^nd	2	0.0%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Foster Care Students!

Rank History for Male students at Senator James H Donovan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	26.11	1059^th	1352	21.7%
2019	26.40	1036^th	1366	24.2%
2021	15.84	976^th	1071	8.9%
2022	23.27	1194^th	1455	17.9%
2023	28.82	1107^th	1464	24.4%
2024	32.47	1042^nd	1464	28.8%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Senator James H Donovan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	12.13	342^nd	374	8.6%
2019	11.59	345^th	369	6.5%
2021	2.88	230^th	236	2.5%
2022	21.49	328^th	381	13.9%
2023	24.16	331^st	388	14.7%
2024	21.62	342^nd	396	13.6%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Senator James H Donovan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	24.55	553^rd	663	16.6%
2019	21.42	565^th	653	13.5%
2021	12.59	246^th	253	2.8%
2022	18.05	631^st	706	10.6%
2023	26.20	558^th	696	19.8%
2024	33.45	494^th	705	29.9%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Senator James H Donovan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2019	23.71	685^th	826	17.1%
2021	16.57	419^th	449	6.7%
2022	25.05	740^th	914	19.0%
2023	39.12	571^st	943	39.4%
2024	37.86	595^th	953	37.6%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Senator James H Donovan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	21.46	665^th	763	12.8%
2019	31.88	520^th	716	27.4%
2021	26.05	494^th	614	19.5%
2022	15.93	686^th	748	8.3%
2023	25.21	621^st	772	19.6%
2024	23.74	651^st	778	16.3%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: NY State Education Department, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: NY State Education Department

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Enrollment information for Senator James H Donovan Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	813	270	31	72	1	n/a	n/a	0	1187
1990	769	225	28	64	5	n/a	n/a	0	1091
1991	571	165	5	39	2	n/a	n/a	0	782
1992	519	196	8	48	1	n/a	n/a	0	772
1993	644	227	24	54	3	n/a	n/a	0	952
1994	569	214	31	45	1	n/a	n/a	0	860
1995	628	241	26	70	1	n/a	n/a	0	966
1996	628	241	26	70	1	n/a	n/a	0	966
1997	611	290	29	81	1	n/a	n/a	0	1012
1998	552	295	25	78	1	n/a	n/a	0	951
1999	542	284	22	84	1	n/a	n/a	0	933
2000	500	296	21	82	2	n/a	n/a	0	901
2001	554	303	25	83	2	n/a	n/a	0	967
2002	546	318	43	104	3	n/a	n/a	0	1014
2003	546	318	43	104	3	n/a	n/a	0	1014
2004	486	346	48	121	4	n/a	n/a	0	1005
2005	466	392	60	148	3	n/a	n/a	0	1069
2006	458	372	78	163	1	n/a	n/a	0	1072
2007	463	382	74	144	0	n/a	n/a	0	1063
2008	407	326	84	145	0	n/a	n/a	0	962
2009	366	339	115	142	0	n/a	n/a	1	963
2010	370	344	130	160	1	n/a	n/a	0	1005
2011	348	350	144	163	0	0	3	0	1008
2012	239	218	100	111	0	0	6	0	674
2013	219	230	125	137	1	0	17	0	729
2014	201	238	126	129	1	0	25	0	720
2015	209	225	115	133	1	0	31	0	714
2016	203	222	124	132	0	0	31	0	712
2017	171	215	148	134	3	0	28	0	699
2018	167	208	156	148	3	0	34	0	716
2019	152	204	180	155	2	0	46	0	739
2020	141	199	169	160	1	0	47	0	717
2021	162	224	180	174	0	0	50	0	790
2022	157	204	185	173	0	0	51	0	770
2023	129	199	174	172	1	0	55	0	730

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Senator James H Donovan Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	1187	117.1	10.1	n/a
1990	1091	111.5	9.7	n/a
1991	782	79.0	9.8	n/a
1992	772	74.1	10.4	n/a
1993	952	73.3	13.0	n/a
1994	860	58.3	14.8	53.4
1995	966	61.8	15.6	64.2
1996	966	61.8	15.6	64.2
1997	1012	74.1	13.7	55.7
1998	951	72.0	13.2	50.1
1999	933	71.0	13.1	57.1
2000	901	71.1	12.7	73
2001	967	70.1	13.8	68
2002	1014	75.0	13.5	73.9
2003	1014	75.0	13.5	73.9
2004	1005	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	1069	83.0	12.9	81.6
2006	1072	80.0	13.4	75.7
2007	1063	84.8	12.5	77.3
2008	962	91.1	10.6	76.2
2009	963	77.8	12.4	82.8
2010	1005	97.6	10.3	77.8
2011	1008	100.4	10.0	78.3
2012	674	69.0	9.7	84.9
2013	729	60.8	11.9	84.8
2014	720	56.8	12.6	86.3
2015	714	56.0	12.7	81.4
2016	712	56.0	12.7	86
2017	699	58.9	11.8	85.7
2018	716	57.1	12.5	88.3
2019	739	61.0	12.1	90.9
2020	717	60.0	11.9	95.7
2021	790	61.9	12.7	93
2022	770	69.7	11.0	86.4
2023	730	64.2	11.3	83.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Senator James H Donovan Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	1187	117.1	10.1	n/a
1990	1091	111.5	9.7	n/a
1991	782	79.0	9.8	n/a
1992	772	74.1	10.4	n/a
1993	952	73.3	13.0	n/a
1994	860	58.3	14.8	53.4
1995	966	61.8	15.6	64.2
1996	966	61.8	15.6	64.2
1997	1012	74.1	13.7	55.7
1998	951	72.0	13.2	50.1
1999	933	71.0	13.1	57.1
2000	901	71.1	12.7	73
2001	967	70.1	13.8	68
2002	1014	75.0	13.5	73.9
2003	1014	75.0	13.5	73.9
2004	1005	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	1069	83.0	12.9	81.6
2006	1072	80.0	13.4	75.7
2007	1063	84.8	12.5	77.3
2008	962	91.1	10.6	76.2
2009	963	77.8	12.4	82.8
2010	1005	97.6	10.3	77.8
2011	1008	100.4	10.0	78.3
2012	674	69.0	9.7	84.9
2013	729	60.8	11.9	84.8
2014	720	56.8	12.6	86.3
2015	714	56.0	12.7	81.4
2016	712	56.0	12.7	86
2017	699	58.9	11.8	85.7
2018	716	57.1	12.5	88.3
2019	739	61.0	12.1	90.9
2020	717	60.0	11.9	95.7
2021	790	61.9	12.7	93
2022	770	69.7	11.0	86.4
2023	730	64.2	11.3	83.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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