Enrollment
654
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Buffalo, NY
Ben Franklin Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Ben Franklin Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 361623001403
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ben Franklin Middle School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of New York schools.
- #5 of 20
- elementary schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.6:1
- small classes for New York
- 43.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Ben Franklin Middle School has class sizes smaller than 76% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ben Franklin Middle School ranks #5 of 20 elementary schools in Buffalo, NY.
School address
District: Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District · New York
NCES ID 361623001403 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
68.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.6:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-19% 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
What stands out at Ben Franklin Middle School
Ben Franklin Middle School is a mid-sized elementary school in Buffalo, New York, enrolling 654 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 43.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 654 puts it in the larger third of New York schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 4,801 scored New York schools.
Against 670 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #348.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and African American (10%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 327 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.8% 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 Middle 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 Middle School compares
Ben Franklin Middle 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 | 9.6:1 | ▼ 19% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.6% | ▼ 22% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 654 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.6:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
654
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
9.6:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 24% in New York - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.8%
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 48.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.2, Ben Franklin Middle School is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District, which includes Ben Franklin Middle 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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenmore West Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kenmore East Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Herbert Hoover Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Thomas a Edison Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Herbert Hoover Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ben Franklin Middle 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
- 609
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 570
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~654 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ben Franklin Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Ben Franklin Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend Ben Franklin Middle School?
Ben Franklin Middle School has 654 students enrolled. It is an 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 9.6:1, which is 19% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 39% 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 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% of enrollment, 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 (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 Middle School rank among elementary schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Ben Franklin Middle School ranks #5 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 Middle School a good school?
Ben Franklin Middle School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% 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 Middle 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.