Overview
School Without Walls Commencement Academy is a public secondary school in Rochester, New York, serving students in grades 9 through 12 as part of the Rochester City School District (RCSD) [1][3]. The school is located at 480 Broadway, Rochester, NY 14607, and its main telephone number is (585) 546-6732 [1][3]. The school day runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. [3].
New York State records list the school’s legal name as “School Without Walls,” while the district’s school directory uses “School Without Walls” and the school’s own website presents the name as “School Without Walls Commencement Academy” [1][2][3]. These names refer to the same RCSD secondary school, which is identified in state records by BEDS code 261600010069 and institution ID 800000050527 [2].
RCSD describes School Without Walls as a nontraditional high school known for an independent learning environment. According to the district, students engage in inquiry-based learning grounded in New York State standards, complete performance-based assessments in most subjects, and take the English Language Arts Regents exam as part of New York State graduation requirements [3].
Location and School Identity
The verified campus address for this school is 480 Broadway, Rochester, NY 14607 [1][3]. Rochester is located in Monroe County in western New York State, and the school operates under the Rochester City School District [1][3]. The school’s website is hosted at sww.rcsdk12.org, and the district directory lists an additional school page at rcsdk12.org/sww [1][3]. General inquiries can be directed to swwinfo@rcsdk12.org [3].
Because “School Without Walls” is a name used by more than one type of program in different places, readers researching this school should confirm identity using the RCSD affiliation, the 480 Broadway address, and the state identifiers listed above rather than the name alone [2][3]. Within RCSD, the school is classified in the district directory as a secondary school and appears under the high school section of that directory [3].
A school’s physical location does not, by itself, establish which students are eligible to attend or what attendance boundary applies. The sources examined for this profile do not describe an attendance zone, a neighborhood preference, or other eligibility rule for School Without Walls, so no such boundary or eligibility claim is made here [3].
Grades and Academic Programs
School Without Walls serves grade levels 9 through 12, according to the Rochester City School District school directory [3]. The same directory lists the school’s start time as 8:30 a.m. and its dismissal time as 3:00 p.m. [3].
The district describes several features of the school’s academic approach. These are school-specific descriptions published by RCSD and are summarized here as reported:
- Independent, inquiry-based learning. RCSD characterizes the school as having an independent learning environment in which students engage in inquiry-based learning grounded in New York State standards [3].
- Performance-based assessment. According to the district, students complete performance-based assessments in most subjects [3].
- Regents examination requirement. Students still take the English Language Arts Regents exam as part of New York State graduation requirements [3]. Regents examinations are a state-level requirement rather than a school-specific program.
- Community-based learning. The district states that learning happens both in the classroom and throughout the community, that students learn to use community resources, and that they complete meaningful community service each year [3].
- Senior project. RCSD reports that seniors complete a yearlong senior project, present public exhibitions of their work, and defend their learning to a review panel that includes community experts, teachers, and peers [3].
- Dual credit college courses. The school also offers dual credit college courses that allow students to earn high school and college credit at the same time, according to the district [3].
The sources examined do not list specific course titles, advanced placement offerings, career and technical education pathways, or a complete program catalog. Readers should consult the school or district directly for a current course listing [1][3].
Enrollment and School Data
New York State Education Department (NYSED) data reported for the 2024–25 school year list a total enrollment of 258 students at School Without Walls [2]. That figure represents a single reporting year and should not be treated as a current count for any later period.
NYSED also publishes graduation rates for the school. The state defines the four-year graduation rate as the percentage of students who entered grade 9 in the same school year and earned a local or Regents diploma four years later; NYSED reports both a June figure and an August figure, where the August percentage includes all students who earned a diploma by June and August combined [2]. The department additionally reports five-year and six-year rates for earlier cohorts [2].
| Cohort | Reported graduation rate |
|---|---|
| 2021 4-year August cohort | 85% |
| 2021 4-year June cohort | 80% |
| 2020 5-year August cohort | 91% |
| 2020 5-year June cohort | 91% |
| 2019 6-year August cohort | 90% |
| 2019 6-year June cohort | 90% |
These figures describe specific graduating cohorts and reporting windows, not the school year in which they were retrieved. A graduation rate is a single measure of one outcome for one group of students; it does not by itself establish overall school quality, and it should be read alongside other state-reported information such as assessment results and student subgroup data on the NYSED profile page [2]. The sources examined for this profile did not include student-teacher ratio, attendance rate, demographic breakdowns, or assessment results for this school, so those figures are not presented here [2].
Admissions and Enrollment
The sources examined for this profile do not describe School Without Walls’s specific admissions process, application requirements, eligibility criteria, or deadlines [1][3]. The RCSD school directory page for the school includes a student registration section, which indicates that registration is handled through district channels rather than through information published in the directory listing itself [3].
Because admissions rules and enrollment procedures can change, prospective families should confirm current requirements directly with the Rochester City School District or the school office using the contact details published on the district directory page and the school website [1][3]. Nothing in the available evidence establishes that residence near the 480 Broadway campus confers eligibility, and no such inference should be drawn from the school’s address [3].
Student Services and Family Information
The RCSD school directory lists the following named contacts for School Without Walls [3], reproduced here as published:
- Principal: Aylin Allen [2][3]
- Assistant Principal: Jennifer DeFranco [3]
- Parent Contact: Tasha Hall [3]
- Board Liaison: Amy Maloy [3]
- School Chief: Edward Mascadri [3]
- DASA Coordinator: Jennifer DeFranco [3]
The DASA Coordinator role refers to the Dignity for All Students Act, a New York State law addressing harassment, bullying, and discrimination in schools; the district directory lists a coordinator for the school [3]. General school email contact is listed as swwinfo@rcsdk12.org, and the main phone number is (585) 546-6732 [3].
The sources examined do not confirm specific details about transportation eligibility, before- or after-school care, language support services, accessibility accommodations, or meal programs at this school. Families should direct such questions to the school office or the district, since these services are governed by district and state policies that the available sources do not document for this campus [1][3].
History and Community Context
In its directory description, the Rochester City School District states that School Without Walls is one of the oldest nontraditional high schools in the nation and is known for its independent learning environment [3]. That characterization is the district’s own published description; the sources examined for this profile do not include a founding date, a founding history, or independent documentation of that claim [3].
The school’s website title includes the term “Commencement Academy,” which is not used in the NYSED legal-name record or in the district directory entry [1][2][3]. The variation in naming is a documentation detail rather than evidence of separate institutions, since the address, telephone number, principal, and state identifiers align across the sources [1][2][3].
How to Verify Current Information
School schedules, staffing, program offerings, admissions procedures, and reported figures can change. Readers should confirm details with the following official sources:
- School website: https://sww.rcsdk12.org/ — the school’s own site, listed as the home page for School Without Walls Commencement Academy [1].
- District directory page: https://www.rcsdk12.org/schooldirectory/high-school/school-without-walls — the Rochester City School District listing with school hours, grade level, contacts, and program description [3].
- New York State data profile: https://data.nysed.gov/profile.php?instid=800000050527%2F1000 — the NYSED Data Site profile for School Without Walls, including enrollment and graduation rate reporting [2].
For enrollment and registration questions, the district is the appropriate authority, since the school directory page routes registration through district processes [3].