Enrollment
541
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Buffalo, NY
Discovery School
Federal NCES profile for Discovery School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 360585003478
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Discovery School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median.
- #45 of 49
- schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 11.3:1
- students per teacher
- 48.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Discovery School has class sizes near the New York median. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Discovery School ranks #45 of 49 schools in Buffalo, NY.
School address
District: Buffalo City School District · New York
NCES ID 360585003478 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.1%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Discovery School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Discovery School
Discovery School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Buffalo, New York, enrolling 541 students.
At 11.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the New York median, within a few percentage points of the 11.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 48.1% lands close to the New York typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 541 puts it in the larger third of New York schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 4,801 New York schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 820 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New York schools statewide, it ranks #778, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (58%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 541 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 55.5% 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.
Buffalo City School District also operates Hutchinson Central Technical High School (1,140 students) and City Honors School (1,088 students) alongside Discovery 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 Discovery School compares
Discovery 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 | 11.3:1 | ▼ 4% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.1% | ▼ 14% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 541 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.3:1
Leaner classes than 81% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
541
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
48.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% 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
11.3:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 49% in New York - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
55.5%
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
$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 541 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 34 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.7 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 57.9%
Hispanic or Latino 15.3%
African American 15.2%
Two or More 7.8%
Asian 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 57.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.1, Discovery School 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 Discovery School.
$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 Discovery School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hutchinson Central Technical High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| City Honors School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| International School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Frederick Olmsted #156 | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mckinley Vocational High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Discovery School'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 (~541 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Discovery School's federal record.
- Compare Discovery School 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 Discovery School
How many students attend Discovery School?
Discovery School has 541 students enrolled. It is a public school in Buffalo, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Discovery School?
The student-teacher ratio at Discovery School is 11.3:1, which is 4% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 28% 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 Discovery School?
48.1% of students at Discovery School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Discovery School?
The largest demographic group at Discovery School is White at 57.9% of enrollment, in Buffalo, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Discovery School?
Discovery School has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (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 Discovery School rank among schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Discovery School ranks #45 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 Discovery School a good school?
Discovery School earns 21/100 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 Discovery School, 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.