Persistence Preparatory Academy Charter School, Buffalo NY

Original Research by School Decision on Persistence Preparatory Academy Charter School

Persistence Preparatory Academy is a charter school serving kindergarten through sixth grade on Buffalo's East Side, with an enrollment of about four hundred students. The school is nearly all African American with a small Hispanic presence, and most students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the neighborhood's economic profile. The school is stable; it received a five-year charter renewal from SUNY in 2023 after its first review.

The school's state test results show a mixed picture. In math, third and fourth graders reach proficiency at solid rates, while fifth graders fall noticeably lower, and sixth graders recover somewhat. English language arts proficiency is consistently weaker across grades three through six, ranging from around half to just under three-quarters of students meeting the standard. Science proficiency in fifth grade, the grade tested, is notably low. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it above the midpoint among Erie County's districts, but the pattern suggests that reading and science are areas where students struggle more than in math, and that fifth grade is a particular pressure point.

The school has pursued instructional change. It adopted the Lavinia Group's Close Reading for Meaning curriculum for grades three through five and implemented iReady materials across the school, signaling an intentional shift in literacy instruction. The school is also now fully grown: it expanded from kindergarten-five into sixth grade, so a family enrolling can keep a child through middle school rather than transferring after elementary grades.

Buffalo itself is undergoing active redevelopment, with two major affordable-housing developments underway that will add hundreds of apartments downtown and on the East Side. The city's downtown and neighborhood commercial centers are increasingly walkable, and the transit system carries substantial ridership. Housing values in the school's zip code are modest, and rental costs are below the state average. The broader economy is anchored by state government, healthcare, finance, and education, with several major employers headquartered or based in the city.

For families seeking a charter school on Buffalo's East Side with a focus on reading instruction, Persistence offers continuity through middle school, stable governance, and test performance that is competitive countywide. The data signal that readers and science learners may benefit from looking closely at how the school addresses those areas and what additional support the school offers beyond classroom instruction.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 380%

School 80% · district not reported

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

Grade 480%

School 80% · district not reported

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

Grade 554%

School 54% · district not reported

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 673%

School 73% · district not reported

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

Grade 771%

School 71% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 349%

School 49% · district not reported

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 463%

School 63% · district not reported

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 548%

School 48% · district not reported

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 656%

School 56% · district not reported

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 771%

School 71% · district not reported

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Science

Grade 532%

School 32% · district not reported

▼ 10 pts below state median · even with 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-income50%Higher-income47%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income60%Higher-income75%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income51%Higher-income39%13 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income56%Higher-income56%0 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income67%Higher-income89%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income78%Higher-income87%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income74%Higher-income100%26 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income56%Higher-income46%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income71%Higher-income80%9 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income72%Higher-income67%5 pp gap