Western New York Maritime Charter School, Buffalo NY

Original Research by School Decision on Western New York Maritime Charter School

Western New York Maritime Charter School is a tuition-free public charter school serving grades five through twelve in Buffalo. The school is organized around a maritime and NJROTC curriculum model and has recently begun a major structural change, adding middle grades to what was previously a high school-only program.

The school enrolls a student body that is majority students of color, with roughly equal shares of Black and Hispanic students, and a smaller share of white students. About a quarter of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is relatively small compared to a typical district school, spread across eight grades.

Academic performance on state assessments is notably low across all tested subjects and grade levels. In math, proficiency ranges from roughly zero in some middle grades to low single digits in others. In English language arts, proficiency is similarly sparse, with most grades reporting zero or near-zero rates of students meeting state standards. Science shows slightly more variation, with middle-school grades performing somewhat better than elementary grades, though proficiency still remains in the low double digits at best. Participation in testing is generally strong, with rates in the high eighties to mid-nineties, meaning the low results reflect actual student performance rather than absenteeism from assessments.

In context with other districts across Erie County, this school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school about what has contributed to these results and what changes are underway to address them. The district brief notes that school leaders undertook a review of state test scores and adopted a new middle school curriculum intended to provide teachers with more guidance and tools to improve outcomes, suggesting the school is actively working on instructional improvements.

The school offers four varsity athletics programs: football, boys basketball, girls basketball, and track and field. Beyond this directory listing, the school's full program offerings and the scope of its maritime/NJROTC focus are not detailed in the available data; a parent should consult the school website for specifics on coursework, electives, and career or technical pathways.

The school is currently undergoing significant physical change. The middle school relocated to a former public school building on Buffum Street in South Buffalo, and the school is working on plans to add a three-story classroom building and athletic facility to that site to consolidate the entire school on one campus. This shift will affect where families' children attend and is intended to address long-standing facility constraints, particularly the existing small gymnasium. Until consolidation occurs, the middle and high school operate at separate locations.

Buffalo itself is an urban neighborhood-based city in an active redevelopment phase, with walkable commercial avenue strips and mixed-use downtown. Housing stock is predominantly older wood-frame and brick structures, with some new and converted lofts. The local economy is anchored by government, healthcare, and education sectors. Home values and rents in the school's zip code are below both state and national median benchmarks, reflecting the broader Buffalo market.

The school serves families in a city with access to public transit, a public library system, and parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. A parent considering this school should weigh the maritime-focused curriculum model, the current split-site operations, and the low state testing results against their own priorities for academic outcomes and school stability. The school's charter status and specialized focus mean it operates independently, not as part of a larger district, which can be relevant to families thinking about school choice and community context.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

90-94%Cohort of 81 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,253 schools plotted. 14 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

New York Regents Exams

4 courses reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Science	141	23.0%
Social Studies	77	38.0%
Ela	72	49.0%
Math	6	0.0%

Math

Grade 56%

School 6% · district not reported

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 60%

School 0% · district not reported

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 716%

School 16% · district not reported

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · district not reported

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 56%

School 6% · district not reported

▼ 48 pts below state median · ▼ 39 pts below county median

Grade 64%

School 4% · district not reported

▼ 42 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 716%

School 16% · district not reported

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · district not reported

▼ 48 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Science

Grade 57%

School 7% · district not reported

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 819%

School 19% · district not reported

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

This schoolDistrict average, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income0%Higher-income8%8 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income19%Higher-income11%8 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income0%Higher-income0%0 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income0%Higher-income0%0 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income16%Higher-income17%1 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income0%Higher-income0%0 pp gap