Enrollment
276
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 360113506543 Charter school
Charter School of Inquiry — Buffalo, NY
Federal NCES profile for Charter School of Inquiry, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 66
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 0
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: Charter School of Inquiry · 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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.4:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
-28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.3%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Charter School of Inquiry 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
Charter School of Inquiry reports 276 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% 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 47% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 84.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% above the New York average and 63% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 276 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 77.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Charter School of Inquiry spends $17,459 per pupil district-wide, below the New York average of $29,727 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Charter School of Inquiry 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 | 8.4:1 | ▼ 28% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.3% | ▲ 50% | 56.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 276 | top 20% | — | — |
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
84.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% 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
8.4:1
students per teacher
— 28% below state mean
Top 10% in New York — lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
77.5%
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
$17,459
per pupil, district-wide
— below New York avg of $29,727
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 276 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 33 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 276 Top 20% in New York — larger than 80% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 8.4:1 -28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 84.3% +50% vs state
NCES ID 360113506543
Student demographics
African American 73.2%
Hispanic or Latino 10.5%
Asian 9.8%
Two or More 3.6%
White 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 73.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 276:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 77.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 33
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charter School of Inquiry, which includes Charter School of Inquiry.
$17,459
Per student
-41%
vs New York
Avg $29,727
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
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
Ben Franklin Middle School
Standard public school
654 students 9.2:1 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
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 Charter School of Inquiry
How many students attend Charter School of Inquiry?
Charter School of Inquiry has 276 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in BUFFALO, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Charter School of Inquiry?
The student-teacher ratio at Charter School of Inquiry is 8.4:1, which is 28% lower than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 47% 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 Charter School of Inquiry?
84.3% of students at Charter School of Inquiry are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Charter School of Inquiry?
The largest demographic group at Charter School of Inquiry is African American at 73.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in BUFFALO, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Charter School of Inquiry?
Charter School of Inquiry has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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.