Enrollment
654
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 361623001403
Ben Franklin Middle School — Buffalo, NY
Federal NCES profile for Ben Franklin Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 63
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 21
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District · New York
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
68.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.2:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.6%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ben Franklin Middle School compares with New York and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Ben Franklin Middle School reports 654 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 68.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% below the New York state mean of 11.7:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 42% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 22% below the New York average and 16% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 327 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District spends $30,801 per pupil district-wide, above the New York average of $29,727 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 47.9% from local sources (property taxes), 38.2% from the state, and 13.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ben Franklin Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against New York state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.2:1 | ▼ 21% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.6% | ▼ 22% | 56.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 654 | top 78% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
43.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 22% below 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
— 21% below state mean
Top 17% in New York — lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
31.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$30,801
per pupil, district-wide
— above New York avg of $29,727
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 327 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
47
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 654 Top 78% in New York — larger than 22% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 68.0
Students per teacher 9.2:1 -21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.6% -22% vs state
NCES ID 361623001403
Student demographics
White 70.4%
African American 10.0%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
Two or More 6.1%
Asian 5.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 70.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 327:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.8%
In-school suspensions 47
Out-of-school suspensions 25
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District, which includes Ben Franklin Middle School.
$30,801
Per student
+4%
vs New York
Avg $29,727
+58%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,235
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,052
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Enrollment
- 772
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Enrollment
- 609
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 570
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
Similar elementary schools in Buffalo
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
South Buffalo Charter School
Standard public school
912 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Reach Academy Charter School
Standard public school
805 students 10:1 students per teacher
Herbert Hoover Middle School
Standard public school
772 students 9.4:1 students per teacher
Herbert Hoover Elementary School
Standard public school
570 students 10.9:1 students per teacher
West Buffalo Charter School
Standard public school
498 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Charles a Lindbergh Elementary School
Standard public school
496 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Ben Franklin Middle School
How many students attend Ben Franklin Middle School?
Ben Franklin Middle School has 654 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in BUFFALO, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ben Franklin Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ben Franklin Middle School is 9.2:1, which is 21% lower than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 42% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ben Franklin Middle School?
43.6% of students at Ben Franklin Middle 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 Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Ben Franklin Middle School is White at 70.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in BUFFALO, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ben Franklin Middle School?
Ben Franklin Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.