Public schools in Buffalo, NY
Buffalo has 86 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 24 high, 4 middle, 51 elementary, 7 other, enrolling 45,168 students. They are run by 22 districts and agencies; Buffalo Public Schools runs 60 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 22 districts and agencies that run Buffalo's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Buffalo | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Public Schools | 60 | 30,124 | $29,407 |
| Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District | 6 | 6,509 | $27,061 |
| Charter School for Applied Technologies | 1 | 2,309 | $16,106 |
| Tapestry School | 1 | 1,108 | $17,177 |
| South Buffalo Charter School | 1 | 882 | not reported |
| Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School | 1 | 881 | $19,238 |
| Reach Academy Charter School | 1 | 529 | $17,913 |
| Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School II | 1 | 376 | $14,152 |
| West Buffalo Charter School | 1 | 503 | $18,455 |
| Buffalo United Charter School | 1 | 659 | $15,322 |
| Health Sciences Charter School | 1 | 446 | $14,870 |
| Persistence Preparatory Academy Charter School | 1 | 324 | $15,778 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
24 high schools in Buffalo, 12,577 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenmore West Senior High School | 1,235 | 10.4 | 44.8% | Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free |
| Hutchinson Central Technical High School | 1,140 | 12.5 | 83.1% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| City Honors School | 1,088 | 14.0 | 50.4% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| Frederick Olmsted #156 | 928 | 11.8 | 61.4% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| Mckinley Vocational High School | 862 | 9.4 | 93.0% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| South Park High School | 801 | 10.6 | 92.4% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| International Preparatory School (the) | 640 | 9.5 | 95.6% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| Buffalo Academy for the Visual & Performing Arts | 617 | 8.8 | 69.2% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| Burgard High School | 502 | 10.5 | 94.8% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| Lafayette International School | 475 | 7.7 | 96.8% | Buffalo Public Schools |
The other 14 high schools
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
4 middle schools in Buffalo, 1,895 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herbert Hoover Middle School | 772 | 10.7 | 44.3% | Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free |
| Ben Franklin Middle School | 654 | 10.0 | 44.2% | Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free |
| PS 59 Dr Charles Drew Science Magnet | 293 | 8.4 | 97.3% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| Buffalo Creek Academy Charter School | 176 | 9.8 | 23.3% | Buffalo Creek Academy Charter School |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
51 elementary schools in Buffalo, 24,750 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International School | 933 | 10.7 | 95.6% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| South Buffalo Charter School | 912 | 13.4 | 57.6% | South Buffalo Charter School |
| Reach Academy Charter School | 805 | 10.1 | 94.8% | Reach Academy Charter School |
| Southside Elementary School | 772 | 10.8 | 91.2% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| West Hertel Elementary School | 771 | 12.2 | 95.1% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| PS 81 | 739 | 13.0 | 85.3% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| Lorraine Elementary School | 638 | 10.4 | 86.2% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| Frank a Sedita School #30 | 614 | 10.1 | 93.0% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| Bennett Park Montessori School | 612 | 9.7 | 75.5% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| Lovejoy Discovery School #43 | 589 | 11.9 | 94.7% | Buffalo Public Schools |
The other 41 elementary schools
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
7 other schools in Buffalo, 5,946 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charter School for Applied Technologies | 2,260 | 11.4 | 71.0% | Charter School for Applied Technologies |
| Tapestry Charter School | 1,120 | 12.8 | 63.5% | Tapestry School |
| Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School | 899 | 11.6 | 85.0% | Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School |
| Waterfront Elementary School | 743 | 12.1 | 95.7% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School II | 704 | 10.6 | 80.5% | Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School II |
| PS 84 | 151 | 6.6 | 88.1% | Buffalo Public Schools |
| PS 42 Occupational Training Center | 69 | 7.3 | 92.8% | Buffalo Public Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Buffalo's public schools compare with New York's
The median Buffalo school has 10.5 students per full-time teacher, fewer than the New York median of 11.1. 87% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 53% across the state. Its median school enrolls 467 students (state 428).
| Buffalo | New York | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 10.5 | 11.1 |
| Median school size (students) | 467 | 428 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 87% | 53% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 99% | 85% |
| Charter schools | 23% | 7.1% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 86 Buffalo schools and the 4,767 New York schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Buffalo
- Buffalo Public SchoolsRuns 60 of Buffalo's 86 public schools and spent $29,407 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$29,407
- Kenmore West Senior High School, the largest high school in Buffalo1,235 students in 2024-25, 10.4 per teacher.1,235
- Compare Buffalo Public Schools with Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School DistrictBuffalo's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in New YorkNew York's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Buffalo addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in New York
Questions about schools in Buffalo
How many public schools are in Buffalo, NY?
86 public schools with an address in Buffalo were open in 2024-25: 24 high, 4 middle, 51 elementary, 7 other, enrolling 45,168 students. 20 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Buffalo?
Kenmore West Senior High School, with 1,235 students in 2024-25 (Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District).Which districts run Buffalo's schools?
Buffalo Public Schools (60 schools), Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District (6 schools), Charter School for Applied Technologies (1 school), Tapestry School (1 school), and 18 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25