School No. 46 is located on a quiet, tree-lined residential street in the heart of the city’s historic Browncroft neighborhood.  Much of the area near the school was originally part of the Brown Brothers’ Nursery, started in the 1800s.  When the land was subdivided into home lots, the Brown brothers landscaped them generously with ornamental trees, many of them still standing.

The City of Rochester annexed the Browncroft area from Brighton in 1914, and the site of the present school was acquired in 1921. The Board of Education authorized a new school building at the corner of Newcastle and Dorchester Roads. 

School No. 46 opened its doors in September 1932 and was named after Major Charles Carroll, who was one of the three original purchasers of the 100-acre tract of land that was the beginning of Rochester.

In February 2024, the Board of Education voted to rename the school to continue the District's journey to remove the names of slaveowners and segregationists.  The school has been renamed Austin Steward Elementary School No. 46 in honor of an African American abolitionist and author who escaped slavery around age 21 and settled in Rochester, NY.  He started a successful business in Rochester, a meat market, and a general store.  Mr. Steward championed economic, political, and social equality through his writings and lectures.