Enrollment
464
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Buffalo, NY
Community School #53
Federal NCES profile for Community School #53, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 360585000346
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Community School #53 earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median.
- #38 of 49
- schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 10.3:1
- students per teacher
- 93.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Community School #53 has class sizes near the New York median. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Community School #53 ranks #38 of 49 schools in Buffalo, NY.
School address
District: Buffalo City School District · New York
NCES ID 360585000346 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.8%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Community School #53 compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Community School #53
Community School #53 is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Buffalo, New York, enrolling 464 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 93.8% of students qualify for free meals, 67% above the New York average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 464 students, its enrollment sits close to the New York median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 4,801 scored New York schools.
Among 732 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New York schools statewide, it ranks #537, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (66%) and Asian (14%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 464 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 97.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 26.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 112 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 464 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Buffalo City School District also operates Hutchinson Central Technical High School (1,140 students) and City Honors School (1,088 students) alongside Community School #53.
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 Community School #53 compares
Community School #53 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 | 10.3:1 | ▼ 13% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.8% | ▲ 67% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 464 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.3:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
464
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
93.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 67% above the New York average of 56.2%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.3:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 34% in New York - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
97.4%
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
$24,652
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 464 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 109 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 65.7%
Asian 14.4%
Hispanic or Latino 10.1%
White 5.8%
Two or More 3.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 65.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.3, Community School #53 is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buffalo City School District, which includes Community School #53.
$24,652
Per student
-7%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+49%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 10.8%
State 62.7%
Federal 26.5%
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 Community School #53 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hutchinson Central Technical High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| City Honors School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| International School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Frederick Olmsted #156 | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mckinley Vocational High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Community School #53's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,140
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,088
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 933
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 928
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 862
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar other 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 (~464 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Community School #53's federal record.
- Compare Community School #53 against another school. Compare schools
- Buffalo City 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 Community School #53
How many students attend Community School #53?
Community School #53 has 464 students enrolled. It is a public school in Buffalo, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Community School #53?
The student-teacher ratio at Community School #53 is 10.3:1, which is 13% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 34% 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 Community School #53?
93.8% of students at Community School #53 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Community School #53?
The largest demographic group at Community School #53 is African American at 65.7% of enrollment, in Buffalo, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Community School #53?
Community School #53 has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower 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 Community School #53 rank among schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Community School #53 ranks #38 of 49 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 schools in Buffalo on the city page.
Is Community School #53 a good school?
Community School #53 earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median. 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 Buffalo City School District?
Besides Community School #53, Buffalo City School District also operates Hutchinson Central Technical High School (1,140 students), City Honors School (1,088 students), and International School (933 students). See the Buffalo City School District district page for the complete list.
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.