Enrollment
284
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Buffalo, NY
Ps 17
Federal NCES profile for Ps 17, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 360585000317
👥 S:T ratio 66
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ps 17 earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of New York schools.
- #8 of 49
- schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.4:1
- small classes for New York
- 90.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Ps 17 has class sizes smaller than 87% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ps 17 ranks #8 of 49 schools in Buffalo, NY.
School address
District: Buffalo City School District · New York
NCES ID 360585000317 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.4:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
90.9%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ps 17 compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ps 17
Ps 17 is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Buffalo, New York, enrolling 284 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.4:1, Ps 17 is leaner than roughly 87% of New York schools and 29% under the state's 11.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 90.9% of students qualify for free meals, 62% above the New York average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 284 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 4,801 scored New York schools.
Among 630 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New York schools statewide, it ranks #65, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (66%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%) (diversity index 54/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 284 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
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 Ps 17.
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 Ps 17 compares
Ps 17 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 | 8.4:1 | ▼ 29% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 90.9% | ▲ 62% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 284 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.4:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
284
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
90.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 62% 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
8.4:1
students per teacher
- 29% below state mean
Top 13% in New York - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
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 284 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 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 65.8%
Hispanic or Latino 11.3%
Asian 8.8%
White 7.7%
Two or More 5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: African American at 65.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.7, Ps 17 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 Ps 17.
$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 Ps 17 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 | Higher S:T ratio |
| Frederick Olmsted #156 | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mckinley Vocational High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ps 17'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 (~284 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ps 17's federal record.
- Compare Ps 17 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 Ps 17
How many students attend Ps 17?
Ps 17 has 284 students enrolled. It is a public school in Buffalo, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ps 17?
The student-teacher ratio at Ps 17 is 8.4:1, which is 29% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 46% 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 Ps 17?
90.9% of students at Ps 17 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ps 17?
The largest demographic group at Ps 17 is African American at 65.8% of enrollment, in Buffalo, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ps 17?
Ps 17 has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ps 17 rank among schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Ps 17 ranks #8 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 Ps 17 a good school?
Ps 17 earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% 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 Ps 17, 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.