Enrollment
407
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Buffalo, NY
Highgate Heights
Federal NCES profile for Highgate Heights, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 360585000368
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highgate Heights earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of New York schools.
- #37 of 49
- schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.6:1
- large classes for New York
- 91.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Highgate Heights has class sizes larger than 77% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highgate Heights ranks #37 of 49 schools in Buffalo, NY.
School address
District: Buffalo City School District · New York
NCES ID 360585000368 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
91.4%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highgate Heights compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highgate Heights
Highgate Heights is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Buffalo, New York, enrolling 407 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.6:1 puts it in the larger third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 91.4% of students qualify for free meals, 63% above the New York average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 407 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.
Against 796 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #551.
Its student body is led by African American (65%) and Asian (24%) (diversity index 51/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 83.0% 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.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions 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 Highgate Heights.
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 Highgate Heights compares
Highgate Heights 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 | 13.6:1 | ▲ 15% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 91.4% | ▲ 63% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 407 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.6:1
Leaner classes than 61% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
407
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
91.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 63% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
- 15% above state mean
Top 77% in New York - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
83.0%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 61 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 65.4%
Asian 23.6%
Hispanic or Latino 4.9%
Two or More 3.2%
White 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 65.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.2, Highgate Heights 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 Highgate Heights.
$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 Highgate Heights Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hutchinson Central Technical High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| City Honors School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| International School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Frederick Olmsted #156 | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mckinley Vocational High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highgate Heights'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 (~407 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highgate Heights's federal record.
- Compare Highgate Heights 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 Highgate Heights
How many students attend Highgate Heights?
Highgate Heights has 407 students enrolled. It is a public school in Buffalo, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highgate Heights?
The student-teacher ratio at Highgate Heights is 13.6:1, which is 15% higher than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highgate Heights?
91.4% of students at Highgate Heights are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highgate Heights?
The largest demographic group at Highgate Heights is African American at 65.4% of enrollment, in Buffalo, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highgate Heights?
Highgate Heights has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Highgate Heights rank among schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Highgate Heights ranks #37 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 Highgate Heights a good school?
Highgate Heights earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% 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 Buffalo City School District?
Besides Highgate Heights, 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.