Enrollment
285
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Buffalo, NY
Riverside Academy High School
Federal NCES profile for Riverside Academy High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 360585006609
👥 S:T ratio 66
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 86
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Riverside Academy High School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of New York schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New York schools.
- #2 of 18
- high schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.4:1
- small classes for New York
- 91.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Riverside Academy High School has class sizes smaller than 87% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Riverside Academy High School ranks #2 of 18 high schools in Buffalo, NY.
School address
District: Buffalo City School District · New York
NCES ID 360585006609 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
91.8%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Riverside Academy High School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Riverside Academy High School
Riverside Academy High School is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Buffalo, New York, enrolling 285 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.4:1, Riverside Academy High School 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: 91.8% of students qualify for free meals, 63% above the New York average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 285 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 4,801 New York schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 616 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New York schools statewide, it ranks #32, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (44%) and Hispanic or Latino (30%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 1 Advanced Placement course.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 71 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Its district draws 26.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 84 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 285 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Buffalo City School District also operates Hutchinson Central Technical High School (1,140 students) and City Honors School (1,088 students) alongside Riverside Academy High 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 Riverside Academy High School compares
Riverside Academy High 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 | 8.4:1 | ▼ 29% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 91.8% | ▲ 63% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 285 | 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.
285
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
91.8%
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
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 71 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 84 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.5 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 44.2%
Hispanic or Latino 30.0%
White 11.3%
Asian 11.3%
Two or More 2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 44.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.8, Riverside Academy High School is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buffalo City School District, which includes Riverside Academy High 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 Riverside Academy High School 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 Riverside Academy High 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 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 (~285 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Riverside Academy High School's federal record.
- Compare Riverside Academy High 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 Riverside Academy High School
How many students attend Riverside Academy High School?
Riverside Academy High School has 285 students enrolled. It is a high school in Buffalo, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Riverside Academy High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Riverside Academy High School 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 Riverside Academy High School?
91.8% of students at Riverside Academy High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Riverside Academy High School?
The largest demographic group at Riverside Academy High School is African American at 44.2% of enrollment, in Buffalo, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Riverside Academy High School?
Riverside Academy High School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Riverside Academy High School rank among high schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Riverside Academy High School ranks #2 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 Riverside Academy High School a good school?
Riverside Academy High School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of New York schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Riverside Academy High 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.