History & Mission

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Welcome to GCCS!

The Genesee Community Charter Schools (GCCS)  provide 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 authentic communicators, reflective questioners, critical thinkers and skilled problem solvers, enabling them to reach exemplary standards.

Genesee Community Charter School – RMSC Campus 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 tuition-free. 

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

  • Opened in 2001
  • Tuition-free public school
  • Chartered 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

At a Glance: GCCS – Flour City Campus

  • Opened in 2022 as a replication of the flagship River campus
  • Tuition-free public school
  • Chartered by the State University of New York (SUNY)
  • Serving grades K-5; approximately 192 total students.
    • Flour City will serve grades K-6 by the 2026-2027 school year.
  • 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, across from Highland Park
  • Affiliated with, but operates independently from, the Rochester City School District

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

Now Enrolling for the 2026-2027 School Year!

We are now accepting applications for the 2026-2027 school year! Please click the link below to create a GoodSchoolsRoc account and submit your application. You are encouraged to apply to both GCCS campuses. The lottery is scheduled for April 8th at 9:15am.