Enrollment
69
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Buffalo, NY
Ps 42 Occupational Training Center
Federal NCES profile for Ps 42 Occupational Training Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 360585000338
👥 S:T ratio 77
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ps 42 Occupational Training Center earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 97% of New York schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in New York.
- #13 of 18
- high schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 5.8:1
- small classes for New York
- 96.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Ps 42 Occupational Training Center has class sizes smaller than 97% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ps 42 Occupational Training Center ranks #13 of 18 high schools in Buffalo, NY.
School address
District: Buffalo City School District · New York
NCES ID 360585000338 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5.8:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.9%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ps 42 Occupational Training Center compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ps 42 Occupational Training Center
Ps 42 Occupational Training Center is a high-poverty, small high school in Buffalo, New York, enrolling 69 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5.8:1, Ps 42 Occupational Training Center is leaner than roughly 97% of New York schools and 51% under the state's 11.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 96.9% of students qualify for free meals, 72% above the New York average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 99% of New York schools, with 69 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 4,801 scored New York schools.
Among 20 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New York schools statewide, it ranks #16, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (35%) and Hispanic or Latino (26%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 74/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 85.5% 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 Ps 42 Occupational Training Center.
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 42 Occupational Training Center compares
Ps 42 Occupational Training Center 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 | 5.8:1 | ▼ 51% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.9% | ▲ 72% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 69 | top 99% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5.8:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
69
Bigger than 7% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
96.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% 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
5.8:1
students per teacher
- 51% below state mean
Top 3% in New York - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
85.5%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.8 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 34.8%
Hispanic or Latino 26.1%
White 20.3%
Asian 15.9%
Two or More 2.9%
Largest group: African American at 34.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 74.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 74.3, Ps 42 Occupational Training Center is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buffalo City School District, which includes Ps 42 Occupational Training Center.
$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 42 Occupational Training Center 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 | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ps 42 Occupational Training Center'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 high 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 (~69 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ps 42 Occupational Training Center's federal record.
- Compare Ps 42 Occupational Training Center 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 42 Occupational Training Center
How many students attend Ps 42 Occupational Training Center?
Ps 42 Occupational Training Center has 69 students enrolled. It is a high school in Buffalo, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ps 42 Occupational Training Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Ps 42 Occupational Training Center is 5.8:1, which is 51% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 63% 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 42 Occupational Training Center?
96.9% of students at Ps 42 Occupational Training Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ps 42 Occupational Training Center?
The largest demographic group at Ps 42 Occupational Training Center is African American at 34.8% of enrollment, in Buffalo, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 74.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ps 42 Occupational Training Center?
Ps 42 Occupational Training Center has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ps 42 Occupational Training Center rank among high schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Ps 42 Occupational Training Center ranks #13 of 18 high 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 high schools in Buffalo on the city page.
Is Ps 42 Occupational Training Center a good school?
Ps 42 Occupational Training Center earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 97% of New York schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in New York. 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 42 Occupational Training Center, 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.