Other / mixed grade configuration · Buffalo, NY

Academy School

Federal NCES profile for Academy School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 73/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 360585006262
0/100100/10073/100
👥 S:T ratio
92
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
97
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Academy School earns 73/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of New York schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in New York.

#1 of 49
schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
73
Resource Index · Higher
2.1:1
small classes for New York
94.3%
free-lunch eligible

Academy School has class sizes smaller than 99% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Academy School ranks #1 of 49 schools in Buffalo, NY.

Enrollment

70

New York · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

33.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

2.1:1

vs 11.8:1 New York avg

-82% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

94.3%

vs 56.2% New York avg

+68% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Academy School compares with New York and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Academy School

Academy School is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Buffalo, New York, enrolling 70 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 2.1:1, Academy School is leaner than roughly 99% of New York schools and 82% under the state's 11.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Economic need is high: 94.3% of students qualify for free meals, 68% above the New York average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

This is a small campus: fewer students than 98% of New York schools, with 70 enrolled.

Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 4,801 New York schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.

Against 27 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #5.

Its student body is led by African American (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 46/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 14 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Its district draws 26.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Discipline events run high: 85 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 70 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

Buffalo City School District also operates Hutchinson Central Technical High School (1,140 students) and City Honors School (1,088 students) alongside Academy School.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Academy School compares

Academy School on the metrics families compare, against New York and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs New York New York avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 2.1:1 ▼ 82% 11.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 94.3% ▲ 68% 56.2% 51.7%
Enrollment 70 top 98% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

2.1:1
Leaner classes than 100% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
70
Bigger than 7% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
94.3%
free-lunch eligible - 68% above the New York average of 56.2%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
2.1:1
students per teacher - 82% below state mean
Top 1% in New York - lower ratio than 100% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$24,652
per pupil, district-wide - below New York avg of $26,410
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 14 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 80 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 121.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

African American 71.4%
Hispanic or Latino 14.3%
White 11.4%
Asian 2.9%

Largest group: African American at 71.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 45.6/100

Simpson diversity index - at 45.6, Academy School is about as mixed as the New York school average of 45.5.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buffalo City School District, which includes Academy School.

$24,652
Per student
-7%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+49%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 10.8%
State 62.7%
Federal 26.5%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Academy School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Hutchinson Central Technical High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
City Honors School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
International School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Frederick Olmsted #156 Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Mckinley Vocational High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Academy School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Buffalo City School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New York, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Academy School's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about Academy School

How many students attend Academy School?

Academy School has 70 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Buffalo, NY.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Academy School?

The student-teacher ratio at Academy School is 2.1:1, which is 82% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 87% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Academy School?

94.3% of students at Academy School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Academy School?

The largest demographic group at Academy School is African American at 71.4% of enrollment, in Buffalo, NY.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Academy School?

Academy School has a Resource Investment Index of 73/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Academy School rank among schools in Buffalo?

By Resource Investment Index, Academy School ranks #1 of 49 schools in Buffalo, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Buffalo on the city page.

Is Academy School a good school?

Academy School earns 73/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of New York schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in New York. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Buffalo City School District?

Besides Academy School, Buffalo City School District also operates Hutchinson Central Technical High School (1,140 students), City Honors School (1,088 students), and International School (933 students). See the Buffalo City School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.