Brighton High School - Rochester, NY

Brighton High School (BHS), in the Brighton Central School District, is in a residential suburb of the City of Rochester in upstate New York. BHS has an enrollment of approximately 1,180 students attending grades 9-12. The BHS community is proud of our diverse national, religious, and ethnic backgrounds with over 40 countries and 30 languages represented. In addition, Brighton has continued to be recognized over the past decade as one of the Best Communities for Music Education, and our athletic teams regularly compete in sectional and state competitions.

Utilizing the RtI process for monitoring all of our high school students, we have created the Brighton Support Team. Referrals initiated by parents, teachers, and students are reviewed weekly by teams of counselors, administrators, and teachers. Cases are reviewed and interventions are proposed based on presenting issues. In instances involving mental health or social/emotional needs, students may be referred to over 20 different in-house counseling groups. Our counseling approach is proactive and supportive with over 275 of our students engaged in weekly counseling and check-ins.

Due to our efforts, we have improved our June graduation rate from 89% in 2013 to 96% in 2017. More significantly, with a focused determination and commitment to improving our instructional approaches, academic interventions, and social emotional support for all of our students, we have seen a dramatic increase in the graduation rate for all of our subgroups. The graduation rates have increased for African American students from 55% to 95%, for students in poverty from 78% to 97%, for students with special needs from 65% to 82%, and for Hispanic students from 73% to 100%. During the same five years, students graduating with Advanced NYS Regents Diplomas have increased from 63% to 73%.