Niagara Charter School, Niagara Falls NY

Original Research by School Decision on Niagara Charter School

Niagara Charter School is a kindergarten-through-sixth-grade school in Niagara Falls that operates as a single charter entity serving a small enrollment of about that size for its grade band. The school sits in an economically pressured housing market where median property values are modest and rental costs are moderate relative to New York state benchmarks. The city itself is slowly declining in population and faces long-term economic transition, though recent state-backed downtown investment in mixed-use development and tourism shows pockets of reinvestment.

The school's academic profile shows a pattern of solid performance in grades three and four, with meaningful gains in third-grade math and English language arts where roughly eight in ten students meet proficiency. Fourth-grade results remain solid at about the same level in math and somewhat lower in English. However, results decline noticeably by grades five and six, where proficiency in math and English language arts drops to around half or lower. In fifth-grade science, proficiency falls to about one in five students—a substantial gap that a parent may want to look into further with the school. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among districts in Niagara County, a meaningful strength that reflects the school's standing relative to its neighbors. State testing participation rates are high across grades, hovering around nine in ten or higher, which means the proficiency data represent most of the enrolled student body.

The school's enrollment is diverse by race and ethnicity. Black students make up roughly half the school, students identifying as two or more races comprise about a fifth, white students form a smaller share at around a sixth, and Hispanic and Asian students make up smaller portions. Economically, nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a sign that the families the school serves face significant economic hardship and that the school functions as a cornerstone food security resource. The specific counts and percentages appear in the data below; these demographics reflect Niagara Falls as a whole.

The school was approved for a five-year charter renewal by the New York State Board of Regents in spring 2025, providing continuity for families. As part of that renewal, the school formally embedded the Leader in Me framework—a character and leadership development program—into its core instructional design, earning national designation as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School. The charter revision also slightly expanded the school's maximum authorized enrollment. These changes signal a deliberate pedagogical shift toward student agency and character alongside academic instruction. A parent considering the school should recognize that the grades-five-and-six performance dip and the science gap represent real curricular challenges that deserve conversation with school leadership, especially if your child is approaching or in those grades. At the same time, the school's top-quartile proficiency standing in the county context and its charter stability suggest an organization with teaching capacity and public backing. The school serves a neighborhood with limited resources, and its universal free-lunch qualification rate means it is oriented toward families facing economic pressure.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 385%

School 85% · district not reported

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 481%

School 81% · district not reported

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 551%

School 51% · district not reported

even with state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 683%

School 83% · district not reported

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 41 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 382%

School 82% · district not reported

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

Grade 471%

School 71% · district not reported

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 556%

School 56% · district not reported

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 648%

School 48% · district not reported

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Science

Grade 519%

School 19% · district not reported

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 588%

School 88% · district not reported

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 7 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 3Lower-income83%Higher-income71%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income75%Higher-income50%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income53%Higher-income71%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income86%Higher-income83%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income83%Higher-income67%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income52%Higher-income50%1 pp gap