School Number 3 is one of Rochester’s oldest schools, first built in 1820, facing Tremont Street, when Rochester was only a village. It was rebuilt in 1840 and again in 1912. The present building was constructed in 1976 on the same site but facing Adams Street. Precast concrete exterior wall panels on a structural steel frame were used in its construction. The structural engineer was a Corn Hill resident who lived on Fitzhugh Street at the time. The Adams Street Recreation Center attached to the school is currently undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation. The center offers the students as well as the entire Corn Hill Community access to its gyms, courts, fields, pool, and recreational programs.
The school was originally named after Colonel Nathaniel Rochester, founder of the city. In 2021, the school was renamed Dr. Alice Holloway Young School of Excellence. The school community felt that Dr. Young provided a more meaningful role model for its students. Dr. Young was the district’s first Black vice principal and principal, supervised the first Urban-Suburban program, and was a founding trustee of Monroe Community College where she served as its chair for 20 years. The 98-year-old Dr. Young presided over the first graduating class from the school named for her, in 2022. The 7th and 8th-grade students are offered a challenging curriculum, a music and studio art program, and various athletic programs. Their extracurricular activities include The Soaring Eagles Book Club, Chess Club, Student Council, and Lego Club. The school offers a clothing closet and food pantry available to all its families, and they engage many business, faith, and community partners in their mission to provide a quality education for their students.
