Enrollment
460
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Buffalo, NY
Ben Franklin Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Ben Franklin Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 361623001402
👥 S:T ratio 63
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 10
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ben Franklin Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of New York schools.
- #2 of 20
- elementary schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.2:1
- small classes for New York
- 57.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Ben Franklin Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 80% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ben Franklin Elementary School ranks #2 of 20 elementary schools in Buffalo, NY.
School address
District: Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District · New York
NCES ID 361623001402 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.2:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.1%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ben Franklin Elementary School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ben Franklin Elementary School
Ben Franklin Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Buffalo, New York, enrolling 460 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.1% lands close to the New York typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 460 students, its enrollment sits close to the New York median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 4,801 scored New York schools.
Against 763 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #294.
Its student body is led by White (59%) and African American (13%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 460 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District also operates Kenmore West Senior High School (1,235 students) and Kenmore East Senior High School (1,052 students) alongside Ben Franklin Elementary 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 Ben Franklin Elementary School compares
Ben Franklin Elementary 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 | 9.2:1 | ▼ 22% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.1% | ▲ 2% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 460 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.2:1
Leaner classes than 92% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
460
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% above the New York average of 56.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
9.2:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 20% in New York - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
36.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$26,112
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 460 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 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
White 58.7%
African American 12.6%
Hispanic or Latino 12.6%
Two or More 11.7%
Asian 4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 58.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.8, Ben Franklin Elementary School is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District, which includes Ben Franklin Elementary School.
$26,112
Per student
-1%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+57%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.9%
State 38.2%
Federal 13.9%
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 Ben Franklin Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenmore West Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kenmore East Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Herbert Hoover Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ben Franklin Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Thomas a Edison Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ben Franklin Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,235
- Students per teacher
- 8.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,052
- Students per teacher
- 8.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 772
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 654
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 609
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar elementary 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.
Similar enrollment (~460 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ben Franklin Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Ben Franklin Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Ben Franklin Elementary School
How many students attend Ben Franklin Elementary School?
Ben Franklin Elementary School has 460 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Buffalo, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ben Franklin Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ben Franklin Elementary School is 9.2:1, which is 22% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 41% 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 Ben Franklin Elementary School?
57.1% of students at Ben Franklin Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ben Franklin Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Ben Franklin Elementary School is White at 58.7% of enrollment, in Buffalo, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ben Franklin Elementary School?
Ben Franklin Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ben Franklin Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Ben Franklin Elementary School ranks #2 of 20 elementary 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 elementary schools in Buffalo on the city page.
Is Ben Franklin Elementary School a good school?
Ben Franklin Elementary School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of New York schools. 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 Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District?
Besides Ben Franklin Elementary School, Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District also operates Kenmore West Senior High School (1,235 students), Kenmore East Senior High School (1,052 students), and Herbert Hoover Middle School (772 students). See the Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District district page for the complete list.
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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.