Enrollment
743
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Buffalo, NY
Waterfront Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Waterfront Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 360585000381
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waterfront Elementary School earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New York schools.
- #31 of 49
- schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 29
- Resource Index · Lower
- 10.9:1
- students per teacher
- 93.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Waterfront Elementary School has class sizes near the New York median. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waterfront Elementary School ranks #31 of 49 schools in Buffalo, NY.
School address
District: Buffalo City School District · New York
NCES ID 360585000381 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
68.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.9:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.4%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waterfront Elementary School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waterfront Elementary School
Waterfront Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Buffalo, New York, enrolling 743 students.
At 10.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the New York median, within a few percentage points of the 11.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 93.4% of students qualify for free meals, 66% above the New York average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 743 puts it in the larger third of New York schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 4,801 scored New York schools.
Against 439 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #171.
Its student body is led by African American (44%) and Asian (29%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 84.8% 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.
Buffalo City School District also operates Hutchinson Central Technical High School (1,140 students) and City Honors School (1,088 students) alongside Waterfront 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 Waterfront Elementary School compares
Waterfront 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 | 10.9:1 | ▼ 8% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.4% | ▲ 66% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 743 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.9:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
743
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
93.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 66% 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
10.9:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 43% in New York - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
84.8%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 110 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.3 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 43.6%
Asian 29.1%
Hispanic or Latino 15.1%
White 9.4%
Two or More 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 43.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.3, Waterfront 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 Waterfront 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 Waterfront Elementary School 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 | Higher S:T ratio |
| International School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Frederick Olmsted #156 | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mckinley Vocational High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waterfront 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 (~743 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waterfront Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Waterfront 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 Waterfront Elementary School
How many students attend Waterfront Elementary School?
Waterfront Elementary School has 743 students enrolled. It is a public school in Buffalo, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waterfront Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Waterfront Elementary School is 10.9:1, which is 8% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 31% 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 Waterfront Elementary School?
93.4% of students at Waterfront Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waterfront Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Waterfront Elementary School is African American at 43.6% of enrollment, in Buffalo, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waterfront Elementary School?
Waterfront Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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 Waterfront Elementary School rank among schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Waterfront Elementary School ranks #31 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 Waterfront Elementary School a good school?
Waterfront Elementary School earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median. 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 Waterfront 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.