Bennett Park Montessori School, Buffalo NY

Original Research by School Decision on Bennett Park Montessori School

Bennett Park Montessori School is a pre-K through eighth-grade school in downtown Buffalo, serving about six hundred students. Nearly three-quarters of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's student body is predominantly Black, with substantial representation of white, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. Bennett Park is part of the Buffalo City School District, which is currently navigating significant financial pressures and has recently implemented a science-of-reading approach across elementary classrooms.

State testing results show consistent and substantial challenges across grades and subjects. In mathematics, proficiency rates decline sharply as students advance: third grade hovers around a quarter proficient, while by eighth grade no students meet state proficiency standards. English language arts proficiency similarly ranges from the low twenties in third grade to single digits by eighth grade. Science proficiency, tested in grades five and eight, is also very low. The school's overall proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile when compared to other schools in Erie County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, including how the new reading-curriculum adoption is taking hold and what supports exist for students who are not yet meeting standards.

The school's location on Clinton Street puts it in the heart of the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Buffalo, a historic area of mixed residential and commercial character. The neighborhood is walkable and connected to downtown by public transit. Housing in the broader Buffalo market is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks, though the school's enrolling families appear to face economic pressure, reflected in the high share of students qualifying for meals assistance.

Bennett Park's Montessori approach represents a pedagogical choice distinct from the district's broader curriculum initiatives. Families drawn to the school are typically seeking that method. The school serves all grades from pre-K through middle school, which means it keeps younger and older children under one roof and allows for a continuous Montessori experience across a broad developmental span. The enrollment is modest enough at each grade level that class sizes are likely to be relatively small.

The district's recent structural decisions matter for this school and its families. The science-of-reading curriculum shift has been accompanied by substantial teacher training investment, and this will shape literacy instruction even in a Montessori context. The universal school meals program now eliminates meal costs for all students, removing one expense families previously faced. At the same time, the district's budget challenges and the decision to defer school closures rather than execute them means ongoing financial uncertainty. Parents considering Bennett Park should understand that the school is operating in a district managing real structural deficits and that future consolidations or changes remain possible, even if closures are not imminent.

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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	12.0%
Math	16	0.0%

Math

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 34% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 26% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 23% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 67%

School 7% · District 25% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 79%

School 9% · District 24% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 44 pts below state median · ▼ 29 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 322%

School 22% · District 32% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 23% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 26% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 614%

School 14% · District 27% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 716%

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

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 812%

School 12% · District 31% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 20% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 811%

School 11% · District 17% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 548%

School 48% · district not reported

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

Grade 831%

School 31% · district not reported

▼ 48 pts below state median · ▼ 44 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 3Lower-income14%Higher-income50%36 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income21%Higher-income67%46 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income12%Higher-income20%8 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income9%Higher-income60%51 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income20%Higher-income47%27 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income10%Higher-income67%57 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income6%Higher-income22%17 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income7%Higher-income20%13 pp gap