Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy, Buffalo NY

Original Research by School Decision on Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy

Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy serves pre-K through eighth grade in Buffalo, a densely populated urban neighborhood where most students are Latino, a substantial majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the city itself is actively developing new housing and small-scale commercial centers. The school is not a charter; it is a traditional Buffalo City School District school.

The school's academic results are weak across the board. In math, state testing proficiency rates range from nearly zero in eighth grade to single digits or low teens in earlier grades. English language arts shows a similar pattern, with most grades under fifteen percent proficiency, though eighth-grade ELA reaches about a fifth of students at proficient levels. Science proficiency in the two tested grades is very low. The pattern suggests widespread foundational gaps in reading and math that persist or worsen as students move through middle school. A parent may want to ask the school directly about its approach to these outcomes, what supports exist for students who are struggling, and whether there is a plan in place to address the gaps.

The district has recently adopted a science-of-reading, phonics-based literacy model districtwide, which means reading instruction at Herman Badillo has shifted to an Orton-Gillingham approach in the early grades. This is a different method than many students' families may remember, and it represents a deliberate effort to improve outcomes. The district has also made free breakfast and lunch available to all students at no cost or application starting in the current school year.

The school draws from a neighborhood that is mixed commercial and residential, organized around walkable avenue strips and connected by bus and light-rail transit. Housing includes historic wood-frame homes and rowhouses, plus newer multifamily developments. The broader city is in a phase of active redevelopment, particularly downtown and on the East Side, with new affordable housing coming online. The local economy is anchored by healthcare, state government, finance, and education, which affects the kinds of jobs and stability families experience.

The Buffalo City School District is under significant financial pressure. Facing structural deficits that span several years, the district has adopted a four-year plan involving staff reductions. A committee had recommended closing two schools, but in early 2026 district leaders reversed that decision and chose not to close any schools, instead pursuing an alternative budget strategy and retaining a consultant to study potential future closures. This ongoing fiscal uncertainty means the district's shape and staffing could change.

Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy is a small to mid-sized elementary and middle school in a high-poverty urban setting. Its academic results are substantially below state benchmarks, and a family choosing this school should understand the learning challenges and ask what interventions and supports exist. The school's name reflects bilingual programming, though specific details on how that is structured were not available in the data provided.

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Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

2 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	17	18.0%
Math	16	0.0%

Math

Grade 317%

School 17% · District 34% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 44%

School 4% · District 26% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 55 pts below state median · ▼ 44 pts below county median

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 23% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 68%

School 8% · District 25% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 76%

School 6% · District 24% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 18% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 315%

School 15% · District 32% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 42%

School 2% · District 23% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 51 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 26% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 612%

School 12% · District 27% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 712%

School 12% · District 26% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 31% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Science

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 20% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 811%

School 11% · District 17% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 543%

School 43% · district not reported

▼ 49 pts below state median · ▼ 50 pts below county median

Grade 822%

School 22% · district not reported

▼ 57 pts below state median · ▼ 53 pts below county median

This schoolBUFFALO CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, 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 4Lower-income2%Higher-income0%2 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income19%Higher-income0%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income4%Higher-income0%4 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income7%Higher-income0%7 pp gap