Ps 84, Buffalo NY - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Ps 84

PS 84 is a special education school serving kindergarten through twelfth grade in Buffalo's East Side. It is a small school with a student body that draws from across the district and beyond, not a neighborhood attendance-area school. The school sits on Grider Street in a neighborhood anchored by major institutions and serving a city that is currently in active redevelopment, with new and adapted housing coming online downtown and along the East Side.

The enrollment is small. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the broader economic context of Buffalo families. The student body is racially and ethnically mixed, with Black, Hispanic, Asian, and white students all present. Data on the share of students with English learner status and detailed special education enrollment rates were not available, though as a special education school PS 84 serves students with significant learning and developmental disabilities; the actual composition and support needs of the population remain opaque from the public record provided.

State testing data for math and English language arts across tested grades show no students meeting proficiency on the New York State Testing Program in the most recent year. This result reflects both the nature of the school's population and the gap between where its students are academically and where state assessments pitch their expectations. The school has no graduation rate because it serves an ungraded population; the label "ungraded" appears to describe a substantial share of the enrollment. A single data point from 2008 in social studies showed zero proficiency among a very small tested group. The absence of meaningful proficiency data across years and subjects does not indicate weak instruction; rather, it indicates that standardized state assessments are not a fit measure for students with the severity of need PS 84 serves.

Academically, a parent should understand that PS 84's role is not college or career preparation in the traditional sense, and not general-education learning within the state framework. Instead, the school exists to deliver specialized support, therapeutic services, functional academics, and life-skills training tailored to students whose disabilities require intensive, individualized programming. A parent would want to learn directly from the school what specific services, staff expertise, and curriculum pathways it offers, and whether those match their child's particular needs. The public data record does not describe these programs.

Buffalo itself is experiencing meaningful growth and reinvestment. Downtown and the East Side are undergoing substantial housing development, adaptive reuse of older buildings, and infrastructure investment. The city has an Olmsted-designed park system, walkable commercial neighborhoods, and a transit system. Housing values in the school's ZIP code are modest relative to state and national benchmarks. The Buffalo City School District has adopted a science-of-reading approach and expanded free meals to all students, but it is also managing significant structural deficits and has considered school closures, though it reversed that decision in early 2026. A parent weighing a placement at PS 84 should confirm enrollment stability and the school's plans with district leadership directly, and should seek a detailed, onsite understanding of what specialized services and expertise the school provides.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

Not publicly reportedCohort of 2 students · Class of 2021

The federal source does not publish a graduation rate for cohorts this small. The cohort size is shown for context.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

1,253 schools plotted. 14 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 30%

School 0% · District 34% · ▼ 34 pts below district

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

Grade 40%

School 0% · District 26% · ▼ 26 pts below district

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

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 23% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 25% · ▼ 25 pts below district

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

Grade 70%

School 0% · District 24% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 53 pts below state median · ▼ 38 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 30%

School 0% · District 32% · ▼ 32 pts below district

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

Grade 40%

School 0% · District 23% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 26% · ▼ 26 pts below district

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

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 27% · ▼ 27 pts below district

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

Grade 70%

School 0% · District 26% · ▼ 26 pts below district

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

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 31% · ▼ 31 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 20% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 17% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 80%

School 0% · district not reported

▼ 78 pts below state median · ▼ 75 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.