Enrollment
276
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Buffalo, NY
Charter School of Inquiry
Federal NCES profile for Charter School of Inquiry, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 360113506543Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 66
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Charter School of Inquiry earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of New York schools.
- #7 of 20
- elementary schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.6:1
- small classes for New York
- 84.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Charter School of Inquiry has class sizes smaller than 86% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Charter School of Inquiry ranks #7 of 20 elementary schools in Buffalo, NY.
School address
District: Charter School of Inquiry · New York
NCES ID 360113506543 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.6:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-27% 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
What stands out at Charter School of Inquiry
Charter School of Inquiry is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Buffalo, New York, enrolling 276 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.6:1, Charter School of Inquiry is leaner than roughly 86% of New York schools and 27% under the state's 11.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 84.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 276 puts it in the smaller 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 681 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #173.
Its student body is led by African American (73%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 276 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 77.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Charter School of Inquiry spends $17,459 per pupil, 34% below the New York average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Charter School of Inquiry is a single-school charter district, so Charter School of Inquiry operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Charter School of Inquiry compares
Charter School of Inquiry 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 | 8.6:1 | ▼ 27% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.3% | ▲ 50% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 276 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.6:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
276
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
8.6:1
students per teacher
- 27% below state mean
Top 14% in New York - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
77.5%
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
$17,459
per pupil, district-wide
- below New York avg of $26,410
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 44.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.2, Charter School of Inquiry is about as mixed as the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Charter School of Inquiry, which includes Charter School of Inquiry.
$17,459
Per student
-34%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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 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 (~276 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Charter School of Inquiry's federal record.
- Compare Charter School of Inquiry against another school. Compare schools
- Charter School of Inquiry'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 Charter School of Inquiry
How many students attend Charter School of Inquiry?
Charter School of Inquiry has 276 students enrolled. It is an 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 8.6:1, which is 27% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 45% 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 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% of enrollment, 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 (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 Charter School of Inquiry rank among elementary schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Charter School of Inquiry ranks #7 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 Charter School of Inquiry a good school?
Charter School of Inquiry earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% 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 Charter School of Inquiry?
None; Charter School of Inquiry is a single-school charter district, and Charter School of Inquiry is its only campus.
Related tools
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.