Enrollment
772
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Buffalo, NY
Southside Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Southside Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 360585004506
👥 S:T ratio 64
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southside Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of New York schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New York schools.
- #17 of 49
- schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.1:1
- small classes for New York
- 86.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Southside Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 81% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southside Elementary School ranks #17 of 49 schools in Buffalo, NY.
School address
District: Buffalo City School District · New York
NCES ID 360585004506 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
85.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.1:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.4%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southside Elementary School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southside Elementary School
Southside Elementary School is a high-poverty, large combined-grade school in Buffalo, New York, enrolling 772 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 86.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 772 puts it in the larger third of New York schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 4,801 scored New York schools.
Against 557 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #103.
Its student body is led by White (35%) and African American (25%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 74/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 257 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 98.8% 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.
Discipline events run high: 199 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 772 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 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 Southside Elementary 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 Southside Elementary School compares
Southside Elementary 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 | 9.1:1 | ▼ 23% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.4% | ▲ 54% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 772 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.1:1
Leaner classes than 92% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
772
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% 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
9.1:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 19% in New York - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
98.8%
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 257 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
73
in-school suspensions + 126 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 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
White 35.4%
African American 25.3%
Hispanic or Latino 23.6%
Two or More 8.5%
Asian 6.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 35.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 74.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 74.3, Southside Elementary School 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 Southside Elementary 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 Southside Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hutchinson Central Technical High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| City Honors School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| International School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Frederick Olmsted #156 | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mckinley Vocational High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southside Elementary 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 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 (~772 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southside Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Southside Elementary 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 Southside Elementary School
How many students attend Southside Elementary School?
Southside Elementary School has 772 students enrolled. It is a public school in Buffalo, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southside Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southside Elementary School is 9.1:1, which is 23% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 42% 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 Southside Elementary School?
86.4% of students at Southside Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southside Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Southside Elementary School is White at 35.4% 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 Southside Elementary School?
Southside Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Southside Elementary School rank among schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Southside Elementary School ranks #17 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 Southside Elementary School a good school?
Southside Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% 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 Southside Elementary 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.