No. 1 District in Greater Rochester Area for Ten Consecutive Years: Pittsford Central School District has earned the distinction of Rochester’s number one school district for ten consecutive years according to Business First's 2020 academic rankings of 67 public school districts in eight counties.
The district rankings are based on four years of test data and graduation rates obtained from the New York State Education Department (NYSED). They reflect the overall performance of all public schools within any given district, based on test results from third grade through senior year of high school. PCSD was also ranked as the region’s top performer in English, math and science and was one of 10 school districts in the Rochester Area to receive Subject Awards in all four subject areas of English, math, science and social studies for ranking in the top 10 percent in those categories.
Top Two High Schools in Rochester Area: Among 88 public high schools in the Greater Rochester Area, Pittsford Mendon High School and Pittsford Sutherland High School were ranked number one and two, respectively, by Business First based on four years of Regents test data and graduation rates from NYSED. Both schools also received Subject Awards for ranking in the top 10 percent in English, math, science and social studies.
Pittsford Mendon and Sutherland High Schools were also ranked among the top U.S. high schools in U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 Best High Schools Rankings. Of the 17,792 public high schools evaluated across the U.S., Mendon High School was ranked in the top 1.4% and Sutherland High School was ranked in the top 1.3%. Schools were evaluated based on six indicators, including college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rates.
Top Two Middle Schools in Rochester Area: Among 99 public middle schools rated in the Greater Rochester Area, Barker Road Middle School and Calkins Road Middle School were ranked number one and two by Business First based on four years of standardized test data from NYSED. Both schools were also ranked in the top 10 percent for English and math, earning them Subject Awards in those categories.
Elementary Schools Among Top Ten in Rochester Area: PCSD’s five elementary schools were ranked among the top 10 public elementary schools in the Greater Rochester Area out of 164 schools rated by Business First based on four years of standardized test data for third, fourth and fifth graders. All five elementary schools earned Subject Awards for ranking in the top 10 percent in English and math.
National Merit Scholars: Five Pittsford Central School District graduating seniors were named National Merit Scholarship winners for 2019-2020. They were chosen from more than 15,000 finalists and an initial pool of over 1.5 million U.S. students who took the PSAT/NMSQT, a qualifying test, to compete for approximately 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million.
No. 1 in Upstate NY for SAT Scores: Pittsford Central School District earned the number one spot for the highest total average SAT score among the 431 Upstate NY public school districts for two consecutive years. In 2018, PCSD students received an average score of 625 in evidence-based reading/writing (ERW) and 640 in math for a total average score of 1,265 on this college-admissions test. In 2017, PCSD students received an average score of 624 in evidence-based reading/writing (ERW) and 629 in math for a total average score of 1,252 on this college-admissions test.
Music Education National Recognition: The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation named Pittsford Central School District one of the “2020 Best Communities for Music Education,” a recognition PCSD consistently receives year after year. Pittsford was among 754 school districts nationwide to receive this award in recognition of outstanding support of music education and the role it plays in enriching the lives of children and advancing student achievement.
Scholar-Athlete Schools of Distinction: Mendon High School and Sutherland High School were recognized as 2019-20 Scholar-Athlete Schools of Distinction by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA). Only 56 high schools throughout New York State were honored with this award. In order to receive a School of Distinction Award, a school must have all of its varsity teams qualify for and receive the Scholar-Athlete team award during their respective sports seasons. To be recognized as a Scholar-Athlete team, 75% of a team’s roster must average a grade point average (GPA) of 90.0 or greater.
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards: Pittsford Central School District students won a combined 34 Scholastic Art Awards and 13 Scholastic Writing Awards during the 2019-20 school year. The Scholastic Awards are administered by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers in New York City. PCSD students participate in the “Northeast Region at Large” group which included approximately 7,000 entrants from New York State, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
“These rankings speak to the academic excellence our students achieve during their school years and the high standards those students will carry with them throughout their lives. They also underscore what can be achieved in a highly collaborative community where students are supported by parents and the PCSD community with a common mission to ‘inspire and prepare our students to be their best, do their best and make a difference in the lives of others,’” said District Superintendent Michael Pero.
Communication Awards: In addition to the notable academic rankings, Pittsford Central School District was recognized by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) for a number of its communication publications and work.
In recognition of “exemplary work in all aspects of school public relations, communication, marketing and engagement,” the District received a 2020 Golden Achievement Award for its comprehensive communication campaign for the “ROC2Change Student Summit on Race.” The ROC2Change social media campaign also received an Award of Excellence, the top award in its category. Honorable Mentions were awarded to the District’s Budget Newsletter, Quarterly Print Newsletter, and the “Barker Blend” Video.
In recognition of communication work that “meets the highest standards of performance in public relations,” PCSD also received two PRism Awards: one in the Events and Observance category for its comprehensive communication program for the “ROC2Change Student Summit on Race” and one in the Research and Evaluation category for its “Social Media Comparative Analysis of Benchmark Schools.” An Award of Excellence was also given for a photo submitted of the “Barker Blend” coffee cart operated by special education students.