Community School #53, Buffalo NY

Original Research by School Decision on Community School #53

Community School #53 is a regular public elementary and middle school in Buffalo serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It enrolls a small-to-moderate population of students, the vast majority of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic challenges of the neighborhood. The student body is predominantly Black, with substantial Asian and Hispanic populations and a small white enrollment. The school sits on Roehrer Avenue in the 14208 ZIP code on Buffalo's South Side.

The state assessment results show consistently low proficiency across math, English language arts, and science. In math, proficiency ranges from roughly one-twentieth in seventh grade to about one-third in third grade, with most grades in the one-tenth to one-sixth range. English language arts proficiency is similarly low, spanning from roughly three percent in fifth grade to about one-sixth in sixth and third grades. In the two science grades tested, proficiency is very low, around three percent in fifth grade and six percent in eighth grade. These numbers place the school in the bottom quartile of Erie County school districts on overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. The participation rate in testing is strong across most grades, hovering near full participation, though eighth-grade science saw notably lower participation.

The school has not published recent state test results for social studies, so current performance in that subject is not available. A snapshot from over a decade ago showed higher performance in those grades, but that is too far removed to characterize current instruction.

Buffalo City School District has undertaken substantial instructional changes that bear directly on what this school's teachers and families are experiencing. The district has moved wholesale to a science-of-reading, phonics-based literacy model, including full adoption of Orton-Gillingham for kindergarten and first grade, backed by deep teacher training investments. This represents a fundamental shift in reading instruction across all elementary grades. Families should understand that early literacy teaching here reflects this newer, research-grounded approach to decoding rather than context-guessing methods. At the same time, the district faces serious structural budget pressure, with deficits projected over multiple years and ongoing uncertainty about staffing and school consolidations, though the board reversed a proposed closure for this school year.

Starting in 2025-26, universal free breakfast and lunch removes a cost for families.

Community School #53 serves a neighborhood that is walkable and mixed-income, with substantial housing stock being rehabilitated and affordable housing development underway, particularly downtown and on the East Side. Buffalo itself has strong transit infrastructure through the Metro Rail and bus system, a downtown anchored by state government, healthcare, and banking employment, and a network of distinct neighborhoods organized around their own commercial avenues. Housing values in the area are modest and have declined slightly year-over-year, and rental costs are low relative to the national median. This is an urban, economically challenged part of Buffalo where many families rely on school meal programs and where schools operate under real budgetary strain.

A parent considering this school should understand that the proficiency results are very low across all tested subjects and grades. The school's strengths lie in its deliberate adoption of evidence-based reading instruction and strong testing participation. Families may want to learn more directly from the school about how it is implementing the district's literacy initiative, what supports exist for students performing well below grade level in math, and how the school is managing the budget pressures affecting the broader district.

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Academic performance

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

New York Regents Exams

1 course 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	19	58.0%

Math

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 34% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 411%

School 11% · District 26% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 59%

School 9% · District 23% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 613%

School 13% · District 25% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 74%

School 4% · District 24% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 18% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 32% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 23% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 53%

School 3% · District 26% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

Grade 617%

School 17% · District 27% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 712%

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

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

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 31% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 53%

School 3% · District 20% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 39 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 87%

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

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

Social studies

Grade 535%

School 35% · district not reported

▼ 57 pts below state median · ▼ 58 pts below county median

Grade 848%

School 48% · district not reported

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 27 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.