Feet in the same circle

Welcome to

Genesee Community Charter School

Our diverse-by-design schools erase social and academic boundaries. Now accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year.

About Us

Two campuses. One mission.

Genesee Community Charter School (GCCS)  provides a rich educational experience that values intellectual rigor, community responsibility, and respect for diversity. Our local history-based and globally-connected program immerses our diverse population of students in investigation and discovery, extensively using the cultural and natural resources of our community. We nurture our students’ natural abilities to be reflective questioners, articulate communicators, critical thinkers, and skilled problem solvers, enabling them to reach exemplary standards.

Genesee Community Charter School at the RMSC and Genesee Community Charter School – Flour City Campus do not discriminate on the basis of race/ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, disability, veteran status, or age in the administration of any of its employment, educational programs, admissions policies, recreational, and other school-administered programs.

Our schools are publicly funded and there is no tuition.  Enrollment is open to all city of Rochester residents, as well as suburban district residents. An enrollment lottery is held in April of each year for incoming kindergarten students and for vacancies as they are available in first through fifth grades.

Curriculum

EL Education is a national nonprofit that partners with schools to provide curriculum design resources and professional development for educators. Our partnership with EL Education was born out of our shared values of engaging curriculum, educational equity, and positive school culture.

Our curriculum focuses on local history and the natural world. As an EL Education school, our students are immersed in three interdisciplinary learning expeditions each year. Classes frequently venture into the local community for purposeful fieldwork which complements and expands upon classroom instruction. Music, visual arts, dance, and creative movement are integrated into the academic and social life at both schools.

At a Glance: GCCS at the RMSC (“River Campus”)

  • Opened in 2001
  • Tuition-free public school chartered and funded by the Board of Regents
  • Serving grades K-6; approximately 224 total students
  • One class per grade level; up to 32 students per class
  • Two teachers and one teaching assistant per classroom
  • Early dismissal every Wednesday
  • Located on the campus of the Rochester Museum & Science Center
  • Affiliated with, but operates independently from, the Rochester City School District

To view GCCS at the RMSC’s latest New York State generated School Report Card, click here.

To view GCCS at the RMSC’s latest annual report to New York State Education Department, click here.

At a Glance: GCCS Flour City Campus

  • Opened in 2022 as a replication of the flagship RMSC campus
  • Tuition-free public school chartered and funded by the State University of New York (SUNY)
  • Serving grades K-4; approximately 160 total students. Flour City will add an additional grade level each year until 6th grade is reached.
  • One class per grade level; up to 32 students per class
  • Two teachers and one teaching assistant per classroom
  • Early dismissal every Wednesday
  • Located on the campus of the former Colgate Divinity School
  • Affiliated with, but operates independently from, the Rochester City School District

To view GCCS Flour City’s latest New York State generated School Report Card, click here.

To view GCCS Flour City’s latest annual report to New York State Education Department click here.

Awards & Recognition

  • EL Education Credentialed school
  • Building Hope Education Innovation Finalist and Award Winner
  • First New York State Dissemination Grant with RCSD partnership
  • EL Education Teaching Award
  • EL Education Leadership Award
  • New York State Reward School
  • National Blue Ribbon School
  • EL Education Credentialed Mentor School
  • Partnership for 21st Century Skills Exemplar School
  • Federal Arts Integration Dissemination Grant
  • Exemplary reviews by New York State Education Department

Klingenstein Teacher Award

EL Education National Conference, 2016

Chris Dolgos, a founding GCCS teacher, receives the Klingenstein Teacher Award at the EL Education National Conference in 2016.  He now serves as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for both campuses.

Save The Date!

We will begin accepting applications for the 2025-2026 school year on December 2nd. See our Admissions page for more information.