Buffalo Public Schools serves approximately 31,000 students in Buffalo, New York, It is located in Erie County of western New York and operates nearly 70 facilities.
History The Buffalo Public School System was started in 1838, 13 years after the completion of the Erie Canal and only 6 years after the 1832 incorporation of the City of Buffalo. Buffalo was the first city in the state of New York to have a free public education system supported by local taxes. Although New York City had a free public education system prior to 1838, NYC obtained additional funding through private donations and sources.School Days of Yesterday Buffalo Public School History, by Morton Weed, copyright 2001 G. Morton Reed Buffalo Public Schools' first Superintendent of Schools, Oliver Gray Steele (1805–1879), was a prominent and successful businessman. Originally from Connecticut, Steele relocated to Buffalo in 1827. He held three different terms as Superintendent between 1838 and 1852, during which twelve new elementary facilities were built, bringing the total to 15 elementary buildings. A building for a dedicated high school was also purchased during this time. Steele is credited as being the "Father of the Public Schools of Buffalo" as his reorganization of the schools in Buffalo enabled children to have access to a free public education. Over 35 people have held the position of Superintendent of Buffalo Public Schools since that time.
Between 1870 and 1900, the population of Buffalo more than doubled. The school population grew along with it, straining existing facilities. Around this time, the city embarked on a campaign of expansion, constructing four public high schools in the first decades of the twentieth century. Additionally, several primary schools were designed by the architectural firm of Louise Bethune, the first woman to be a professional architect in the United States.
On April 26, 2025, Richard Hy, a detective with the Buffalo Police Department, claimed on the Unsubscribe podcast that the Buffalo Public Schools district covered up and refused to work with law enforcement with cases of sexual assaults and abuse. Hy also stated that Buffalo Public Schools officials and attorneys obstructed evidence and ignored subpoenas and court orders to cover up child abuse and sexual abuse within the district. Hy also stated that the Erie County District Attorney's office and his superiors were also frustrated to which they replied no comment with concerns about compromising ongoing investigations. In May 2025, Richard Hy again made additional allegations of misconduct. Representatives of Buffalo Public Schools and the Buffalo Teachers Federation have disputed Hy's claims. In late May 2025, Missouri-based lawyer Kayla Ferrel Onder was retained by 12 clients to who claimed they had been abused by BPS to file a legal complaint. In June, the School Board selected Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations.
In February 2026, BPS reached a settlement with the New York Attorney General's Office to overhaul disciplinary procedures after an investigation found that the district disproportionally took action against students of color, students with disabilities, and students with English difficulties. Rupp Pfalzgraff released their report that same month, containing several redactions with purpose of maintaining student privacy. The report stated that while the investigators did not find evidence of coverups or obstruction, they did find "systemic challenges requiring attention, including communication protocols, evidence-preservation procedures, training, and coordination between schools and law enforcement and related entities." The report was criticized by parents for lacking new information. At the school board meeting following the release of the report, the report was not a topic on the agenda, though the district stated that changes were being made but would likely not be discussed publicly to maintain school safety and protocols. In April, the district sought feedback on a new district-wide safety plan.
Administration The Board of Education of the Buffalo City School District is the policy-making body for the Buffalo Public Schools,http://www.buffaloschools.org/files/93/Bflo%20City%20School%20District%20Policy%20Manual%20Section%201000%20By-Laws.PDF as provided by the Constitution of New York, and is under the general supervision of the New York State Education Department. The board consists of nine members elected by popular vote of District residents.
Schools
Elementary schools Except where noted, all schools serve Grades PreK-8 D'Youville Porter Campus School, Front Park Buffalo Elementary School of Technology, Willert Park Early Childhood Center 17, Cold Springs Dr. Antonia Pantoja Community School of Academic Excellence, Front Park Native American Magnet School, Grant Ferry Hillery Park Elementary School, Seneca Frank A. Sedita Academy, Front Park Harriet Ross Tubman School, Emslie Bennett Park Montessori School, Willert Park Bilingual Center, First Ward Marva J. Daniel Futures Preparatory School, Medical Park Lovejoy Discovery School, Lovejoy International School, Grant Ferry School 48 @ MLK, Medical Park North Park Community School, North Park Community School, Kingsley Dr. George E. Blackman School of Excellence, #54, Parkside Dr. Charles R. Drew Science Magnet, MLK Park Annex 59, Polonia Arthur O. Eve School of Distinction, Leroy Frederick Law Olmsted School, Park Meadow Roosevelt Early Childhood Center, Riverside Discovery School, South Abbott Houghton Academy, Kaisertown Lorraine Elementary School, Abbott McKinley Hamlin Park Claude & Ouida Clapp Academy, Hamlin Park Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy, Columbus William J. Grabiarz School of Excellence, Military Highgate Heights School, Kensington School 81, North Park Early Childhood Center 82, Kenfield Health Care Center for Children, Grider Dr. Lydia T. Wright School of Excellence, Grider B.U.I.L.D. Community School, MLK Park Southside Elementary School, Seneca West Hertel Academy, Military Waterfront Elementary School, Columbus Harvey Austin School, Emerson Stanley Makowski Early Childhood Center, Kingsley
Secondary schools Except where noted, all schools serve Grades 9-12 List of Secondary SchoolsP.S.School nameNeighborhoodPrincipalDescription 42 Occupational Training Center Downtown Tom Vitale Vocational training for students with disabilities until age 21 131 The Academy School Starin Central Casey Young-Welch Alternative education for suspended students (7-12) 156 Frederick Law Olmsted School Kenfield Giovanna Claudia-Cotto Gifted & talented middle/high school program (5-12) 192 Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts Masten Park Jody Covington Magnet school for fine and performing students (5-12) 195 City Honors School Medical Park Bill Kresse School for high-performing students with IB program and AP classes (5-12) 196 Math, Science, Technology Preparatory School Medical Park Beth Brown Annex to PS 197 housed at School 48 (5-8) 197 Grider Kevin Eberle Health Information Technology and Medical Pathways programs (9-12) 198 The International Preparatory School Front Park Ella Dunne West Side community school with CTE programs in business and architecture 206 South Park High School Triangle Michael Morris South Buffalo community school with CTE programs in Solar Technology and Horticulture 207 Lafayette International High School Forest John Starkey West Side community school with ENL programs for immigrant and refugee students 208 Riverside Academy Riverside Teena Jones Riverside community school with CTE programs in aquaculture and tourism 212 Leonardo da Vinci High School Front Park Greg Lodinsky Students take classes on campus from D'Youville College 301 Burgard Vocational High School Leroy Charlene Watson CTE programs in Automotive/Machine Tool Technology and Welding in partnership with Alfred State College 302 Emerson School of Hospitality Downtown Debbie Stokes Students learn hospitality/culinary skills with an on-site restaurant 304 Hutchinson Central Technical High School Columbus Gabriella Morquecho Technology prep school with concentrations in Biochemistry and Engineering 305 McKinley Vocational High School Black Rock Carmelita Burgin [interim] CTE programs in Aquatic ecology and applied trades (Carpentry, Electricity, HVAC, Printing and Plumbing) 309 East Community High School MLK Park Traci Cofield CTE programs in Law Enforcement and Public Safety 335 Middle Early College High School Starin Central David Potter Students take 5 years of high school via Erie Community College 355 Buffalo School of Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management Downtown Katie Schuta Annex to Emerson School of Hospitality 357 Pathways Academy MLK Park Valarie Kent Virtual and in-person alternative education for undercredited students 363 Lewis J. Bennett School of Innovative Technology Starin Central Carlos Alvarez CTE programs in Computer Science and Programming 366 Research Laboratory High School Angela Cullen Bioinformatics/Life Science research
Defunct schools