Who we are
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Founded in 2014, Renaissance Academy Charter School of the Arts was created with the vision of providing a free, quality, arts-integrated education to students from the city of Rochester and across Monroe County.
Our passionate team empowers children to excel academically, embrace creativity, and thrive socially and emotionally.
We are committed to excellence, innovation, and equity, as we nourish the foundations of success for Rochester’s children.
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STUDENT CENTERED
CULTURALLY RELEVANT
COLLABORATIVE
CREATIVE
INCLUSIVE
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Our goal at RA is to help create pathways and opportunities for our students to break generational cycles of poverty.
The internal question “What is best for our kids?” consistently forms the basis for individualized foundations for success.
To learn more about proficiency scores, attendance rates, and other metrics of success please explore our annual report.
92%
Daily student attendance rate
3x
Higher student ELA and Math Proficiency than District Peers
87%
Teacher Retention rate
I see how the work RA does improves Rochester by strengthening education and giving students opportunities that can break the cycle of poverty they might otherwise be stuck in.
-Community Organizer
RA gives students a warm, safe, and welcoming place, surrounded by people who truly value their role in shaping young minds.
-Corporate Sponsor
Our students
Our students are brilliant, creative, hardworking young people who come from primarily underserved and underrepresented communities.
92%
of our students live below the poverty line.
1 in 14
Students experience homelessness.
>100
receive in school mental health therapy.
30%
of our students have special needs or are English language learners.
With the help of our generous community, private donors, and sponsors we have built a robust support system for our students.
Programs and services like the ones below ensure that our students are ready and able to learn and grow when they walk through our doors each morning.
Inequitable Funding
At Renaissance Academy, we are committed to operating with fiscal responsibility and efficiency. We educate each student at a cost of $17,272—less than half of the funding spent per pupil in the Rochester City School District.
At RA, we run a lean, agile operation where every dollar is stretched to support our students directly, and it shows. Our students consistently receive a high-quality, well-rounded education and significantly outperform their peers at their home district schools.
Because charter schools like RA do not receive the same level of public funding and receive no support for facilities, we rely on local contributions to fill critical gaps.
Each year, we must seek additional funding to sustain essential programs such as social-emotional and family support services, summer learning opportunities, and before-school programming, resources that would otherwise be supported by full and equitable state funding our students deserve.
500+ Students
Tuition Free public school
50% less funding
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