Enrollment
452
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 360102206239 Charter school
Health Sciences Charter School — Buffalo, NY
Federal NCES profile for Health Sciences Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 30/100.
👥 Class size 40
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 70
📋 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: Health Sciences Charter School · 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)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 11.7:1 New York avg
+27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.2%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Health Sciences Charter School 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
Health Sciences Charter School reports 452 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% above the New York state mean of 11.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 72.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% above the New York average and 39% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 151 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 59.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Health Sciences Charter School spends $15,927 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 30/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Health Sciences Charter School 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 | 14.9:1 | ▲ 27% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.2% | ▲ 28% | 56.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 452 | top 55% | — | — |
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
72.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 28% 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
14.9:1
students per teacher
— 27% above state mean
Top 88% in New York — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
59.1%
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
$15,927
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 151 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
55
in-school suspensions + 111 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 36.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 452 Top 55% in New York — larger than 45% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 14.9:1 +27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 72.2% +28% vs state
NCES ID 360102206239
Student demographics
African American 90.0%
Hispanic or Latino 7.3%
White 1.1%
Two or More 0.9%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: African American at 90.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 151:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 59.1%
In-school suspensions 55
Out-of-school suspensions 111
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Health Sciences Charter School, which includes Health Sciences Charter School.
$15,927
Per student
-46%
vs New York
Avg $29,727
-18%
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 high schools in Buffalo
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Hutchinson Central Technical High School
Standard public school
1,140 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Mckinley Vocational High School
Vocational / career-technical school
862 students 10.3:1 students per teacher
South Park High School
Standard public school
801 students 9.4:1 students per teacher
International Preparatory School (the)
Standard public school
640 students 9.1:1 students per teacher
Burgard High School
Vocational / career-technical school
502 students 8.4:1 students per teacher
Lafayette International School
Standard public school
475 students 7:1 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 Health Sciences Charter School
How many students attend Health Sciences Charter School?
Health Sciences Charter School has 452 students enrolled. It is a high school in BUFFALO, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Health Sciences Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Health Sciences Charter School is 14.9:1, which is 27% higher than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Health Sciences Charter School?
72.2% of students at Health Sciences Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Health Sciences Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Health Sciences Charter School is African American at 90.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in BUFFALO, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Health Sciences Charter School?
Health Sciences Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F) based on 5 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.