Rochester City School District honored with 2025 Top Projects Award for major facility improvements and reconfiguration efforts

Rochester, New York – The Rochester City School District (RCSD) has earned one of the region’s most prestigious honors, receiving a 2025 Top Projects Award from the Rochester Business Journal. The recognition celebrates the District’s extensive facility improvements and reconfiguration work completed last summer under its ambitious Invest in Tomorrow initiative.

Presented in partnership with Vargas Associates, the award acknowledges the most outstanding construction and renovation efforts across the greater Rochester area over the past year. RCSD’s project stood out for its scope, coordination, and impact—bringing significant updates to school buildings while reshaping the educational landscape for thousands of students.

Chief Operating Officer Jacob Scott, who led the nomination effort earlier this year, said the recognition reflects the dedication and teamwork that went into the massive reconfiguration effort. “Implementing a District-wide reconfiguration of this scale required careful planning and teamwork across every department,” said Scott. “Seeing it come together successfully last summer is a proud moment for our staff and a real benefit for students and families.”

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The Invest in Tomorrow plan is designed to modernize school facilities, enhance classroom spaces, and ensure that resources are distributed more effectively throughout the city. The initiative involved strategic relocations, building improvements, and redefined learning environments—all intended to create more equitable opportunities for Rochester’s students.

Executing a transformation of this magnitude required close collaboration among district departments, construction teams, and community partners. Vargas Associates, a Rochester-based firm known for its expertise in project management and facility planning, worked closely with the District throughout the process, ensuring that each transition was seamless and that every facility met modern learning standards.

The Rochester Business Journal formally recognized RCSD’s achievement during an awards ceremony held on Tuesday, October 28, at the Riverside Convention Center. The event brought together top organizations, developers, and architects from across the region to celebrate innovative projects that have shaped Rochester’s built environment over the past year.

In addition to the ceremony, the District and its partners will be featured in a special magazine insert in the October 31 issue of the Rochester Business Journal and showcased online at RBJ.net.

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District leaders say the award is more than a symbol of successful construction—it represents a milestone in RCSD’s ongoing commitment to improving education through thoughtful investment and planning.

The District extended congratulations to Chief Scott, his team, and Vargas Associates for earning this distinction, noting that the recognition highlights how collaboration and vision can create lasting benefits for students, families, and the broader Rochester community.

With this recognition, RCSD’s Invest in Tomorrow initiative stands as both a model of effective project execution and a testament to the power of teamwork in building a stronger future for local education.