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McKinley Vocational High School

Public Grades 9-12

1193^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,234 New York High Schools

Better than 3% of New York high schools

Summary

McKinley Vocational High School is a public high school in Buffalo, NY, serving 940 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Buffalo City School District. The school faces significant academic and demographic challenges, with consistently low performance on state assessments, declining graduation rates, and high rates of chronic absenteeism.

Academically, McKinley Vocational High School consistently ranks in the bottom 10% of New York high schools, with proficiency rates on Regents/Common Core exams that are significantly below state and district averages. The school's graduation rate has declined from 84.3% in 2023-2024 to 60.8% in 2021-2022, while dropout rates have increased from 4.5% to 14.8% over the same period. The school's high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, at 91.49% in 2023-2024, likely contributes to these academic challenges.

Interestingly, nearby schools in the Buffalo City School District, such as Buffalo Academy for the Visual & Performing Arts and Leonardo Da Vinci High School, generally perform better academically than McKinley Vocational High School, despite also serving a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students. This suggests that factors beyond just socioeconomic status may be contributing to the academic challenges at McKinley Vocational High School, such as its unique vocational focus and high rates of chronic absenteeism, which reached up to 86% in 2023-2024.

862

Students ?

9.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$34,850

Per pupil spending ?

93%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1500 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14207-3086

(716) 816-4480

District: Buffalo City School District

Racial breakdown:

African American:

52.4%

Hispanic:

23.3%

White:

11.7%

See top rated New York high schools

Compare McKinley Vocational High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 12th percentile in 2014 → 3rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New York average (23% vs 66% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!Graduation rate below the New York average (51% vs 83%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg39%

New York avg66%

1,193^rd of 1,234

New York public high schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 18% (2015) to bottom 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New York High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

14^th of 20High Schools in the Buffalo City School District

830^th of 874Buffalo City School District among New York districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	6.2	1193 of 1234	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.1	1206 of 1242	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.5	1196 of 1228	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.9	1166 of 1190	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.2	939 of 1207	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.0	973 of 1210	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.7	926 of 1221	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	31.4	875 of 1255	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	18.7	1032 of 1255	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	11.9	1086 of 1237	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	14.3	1004 of 1217	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	11.6	1047 of 1198	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	20.2	959 of 1165	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	13.5	1002 of 1117	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	24.7	849 of 1086	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	21.9	836 of 1027	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	22.5	816 of 1002	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	26.0	775 of 986	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	25.7	757 of 935	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	10.6	689 of 713	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.4	666 of 690	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.0	642 of 671	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.3	591 of 593	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	33.6	456 of 686	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.6	499 of 679	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	4.4	401 of 413	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.2	412 of 426	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.3	412 of 424	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	0.6	385 of 386	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.0	418 of 447	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.1	417 of 426	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	21.0	606 of 669	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.0	550 of 637	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.2	441 of 583	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.6	397 of 481	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	51.4	219 of 565	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.7	270 of 546	50.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	6.8	1167 of 1206	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.8	1194 of 1219	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.9	1153 of 1197	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.2	1138 of 1155	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.1	961 of 1193	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.6	974 of 1176	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	10.7	844 of 885	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.7	822 of 865	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.5	829 of 851	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.2	749 of 760	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.7	550 of 815	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.5	511 of 791	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	9.0	596 of 607	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	529 of 564	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.4	438 of 531	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.9	315 of 493	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.0	384 of 498	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	5.9	1141 of 1179	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.0	1140 of 1170	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.7	1125 of 1155	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.1	1081 of 1101	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.2	928 of 1179	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.2	971 of 1154	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	6.4	1162 of 1201	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.8	1172 of 1211	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.1	1167 of 1191	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.0	1121 of 1154	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.8	913 of 1190	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.1	966 of 1176	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	9.6	312 of 328	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.8	265 of 272	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	9.9	1131 of 1149	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.7	1102 of 1144	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	1084 of 1130	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.9	970 of 1038	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	47.6	551 of 1132	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.3	662 of 1095	39.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New York percentile	Rating
2025	3.4	769 of 788	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.3	765 of 781	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.3	751 of 776	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	1.9	725 of 738	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.7	729 of 793	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.3	686 of 765	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2025)9th percentile+6 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)5th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)5th percentile~ school

African American (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Asian (2025)3rd percentile~ school

White (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Homeless (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs New York (2024-2025) ?

Life Science Biology51%-7 vs state

Common Core English Language Arts30%-46 vs state

Global History and Geography29%-47 vs state

Living Environment24%-33 vs state

U.S. History and Government21%-54 vs state

Algebra I16%-40 vs state

Earth Science11%-54 vs state

Common Core Algebra II9%-66 vs state

Earth and Space Sciences6%-50 vs state

Common Core Geometry5%-19 vs state

Geometry4%-56 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, October 24, 2019

🤨👎👎Do not send your child/children to this lousy school you'll regret it if you do🤨!!...This has too be the most crapiest high school here in buffalo western ny with the most Incompetent, unprofessional lazy butt teachers on staff only concerned about their paychecks!🤨🤬👎👎... #TerribleSchool👎👎😡🤨 Close Quote

by a citizen
Saturday, January 21, 2012

When I went to McKinley back in the late 50's it was one of the best in Buffalo.
It's to bad so much of what was good in Buffalo has been lost. Another thing that
was really good were all the jobs and great shopping area's. Close Quote

Schools Near McKinley Vocational High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Regents Chemistry (2025)	Regents Common Core Algebra II (2025)	Regents Common Core English Language Arts (2025)	Regents Common Core Geometry (2025)	Regents Earth Science (2025)	Regents Global History and Geography (2025)	Regents Living Environment (2025)	Regents Physics (2025)	Regents U.S. History and Government (2025)	Regents Algebra I (2025)	Regents Life Science Biology (2025)	Regents Geometry (2025)	Regents Earth and Space Sciences (2025)	NY State Assessments English Language Arts (2025)				NY State Assessments Math (2025)				NY State Assessments Science (2025)		% Completely Immunized (2020)	% Polio (2020)	% Measles (2020)	% Mumps (2020)	% Rubella (2020)	% Diphtheria (2020)	% Hepatitis B (2020)	% Varicella (2020)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Regents Chemistry End of Course	Regents Common Core Algebra II End of Course	Regents Common Core English Language Arts End of Course	Regents Common Core Geometry End of Course	Regents Earth Science End of Course	Regents Global History and Geography End of Course	Regents Living Environment End of Course	Regents Physics End of Course	Regents U.S. History and Government End of Course	Regents Algebra I End of Course	Regents Life Science Biology End of Course	Regents Geometry End of Course	Regents Earth and Space Sciences End of Course	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 5th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 6th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 7th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 8th Grade	NY State Assessments Science 5th Grade	NY State Assessments Science 8th Grade	% Completely Immunized All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Diphtheria All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
McKinley Vocational High School	Public	9-12	1500 Elmwood Ave	Buffalo	14207	Erie County	Buffalo City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(716) 816-4480	862	91	9.4	93.0%	101 (11.7%)	452 (52.4%)	201 (23.3%)	58 (6.7%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (5.1%)	6.2	1193^rd of 1234 public high schools	3.3%		5.1	1206^th of 1242 public high schools	2.9%	13		9.1	29.5	4.6	11.4	28.8	23.9		21.4	15.7	51.2	4.2	6.1											96.9	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.7	98.2	99.1	$34,850	$3,540	$31,309
Lafayette International School	Public	9-12	370 Lafayette Ave	Buffalo	14213	Erie County	Buffalo City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(716) 816-4358	475	62	7.6	96.8%	48 (10.1%)	135 (28.4%)	152 (32.0%)	128 (26.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.5%)	3.8	1223^rd of 1234 public high schools	0.9%		6.8	1186^th of 1242 public high schools	4.5%	37			35.7		4.2	24.3	14.5		27.7	24.8	12.5		14.3											74.2	78.3	81.5	81.5	81.5	79.9	74.7	78.9	$51,068	$2,929	$48,140
Riverside Academy High School	Public	9-12	51 Ontario St	Buffalo	14207	Erie County	Buffalo City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(716) 816-4530	285	36	7.8	96.1%	32 (11.2%)	125 (43.9%)	85 (29.8%)	32 (11.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.8%)	3.4	1225^th of 1234 public high schools	0.7%		5.5	1202^nd of 1242 public high schools	3.2%	23			39.8		9.4	27.0	16.1		20.2	11.0	12.5	4.0	19.3											100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	$39,273	$3,257	$36,016
Buffalo Academy For The Visual & Performing Arts	Public	5-12	450 Masten Ave	Buffalo	14209	Erie County	Buffalo City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(716) 816-4220	617	70	8.8	69.2%	129 (20.9%)	285 (46.2%)	126 (20.4%)	14 (2.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (9.4%)	32.2	833^rd of 1234 public high schools	32.5%		33.4	815^th of 1242 public high schools	34.4%	18	25.0	52.2	73.6	3.9	8.3	72.1	25.8		69.5	40.8	45.4	38.6	61.8	57.5	36.0	47.2	60.5	45.5	50.0	38.3	5.6	44.2	25.0	89.1	99.3	98.5	98.5	98.5	99.3	99.9	98.8	$34,315	$2,925	$31,389
Research Laboratory High School-Bioinformatic	Public	9-12	2495 Main St	Buffalo	14214	Erie County	Buffalo City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(716) 816-4250	174	23	7.5	91.4%	20 (11.5%)	112 (64.4%)	22 (12.6%)	15 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.9%)	14.6	1071^st of 1234 public high schools	13.2%		13.6	1079^th of 1242 public high schools	13.1%	8	7.7	16.7	73.0	0.0	16.7	42.6	25.0	0.0	48.7	22.8	47.5	19.2	27.0																			$39,272	$3,601	$35,672
Kenmore Junior-Senior High School	Public	7-12	155 Delaware Rd	Kenmore	14217	Erie County	Kenmore-Tonawanda Union Free School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(716) 874-8403	180	24	7.6	58.3%	112 (62.2%)	11 (6.1%)	35 (19.4%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (11.1%)	33.3	819^th of 1234 public high schools	33.6%		30.1	853^rd of 1242 public high schools	31.3%	34			82.9			61.2	52.7		55.6	21.2						36.7	26.9			27.6	16.0		52.0									$31,794	$993	$30,801
Health Sciences Charter School	Public, Charter	9-12	1140 Ellicott St	Buffalo	14209	Erie County	Health Sciences Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(716) 888-4080	452	33	13.6	92.0%	5 (1.1%)	406 (89.8%)	33 (7.3%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	9.7	1145^th of 1234 public high schools	7.2%		18.1	1004^th of 1242 public high schools	19.2%	141	16.7	12.8	47.0		11.3	54.0	27.5		31.7	27.3	34.5	50.0	18.0																			$13,315	$969	$12,345
Leonardo Da Vinci High School	Public	9-12	167 E Utica St	Buffalo	14208	Erie County	Buffalo City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(716) 816-4380	363	35	10.4	81.3%	76 (20.9%)	141 (38.8%)	72 (19.8%)	61 (16.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.5%)	35.7	797^th of 1234 public high schools	35.4%		27.3	883^rd of 1242 public high schools	28.9%	86	20.5	36.2	76.9	8.9	45.2	80.6	66.0		81.8	42.9	53.8	13.6	52.9											100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	$14,563	$2,350	$12,214
Burgard High School	Public	9-12	400 Kensington Ave	Buffalo	14214	Erie County	Buffalo City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(716) 816-4450	502	48	10.4	94.8%	53 (10.6%)	256 (51.0%)	91 (18.1%)	79 (15.7%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.6%)	12.5	1100^th of 1234 public high schools	10.9%		18.5	996^th of 1242 public high schools	19.8%	104		50.0	43.5	33.3	4.4	54.0	22.3		61.3	34.5	14.3	6.8	26.5											99.6	100.0	99.8	99.8	99.8	100.0	99.8	100.0	$33,995	$2,637	$31,358
Academy School	Public	9-12	756 St Lawrence Ave	Buffalo	14216	Erie County	Buffalo City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(716) 816-3270	70	27	2.6	97.1%	8 (11.4%)	50 (71.4%)	10 (14.3%)	2 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1.2	1233^rd of 1234 public high schools	0.1%		1.2	1241^st of 1242 public high schools	0.1%	8			13.0		0.0	0.0	0.0		14.3	7.4		0.0												97.8	99.3	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	99.3	100.0	$77,319	$7,641	$69,679

Frequently Asked Questions about McKinley Vocational High School

What district is McKinley Vocational High School in?

Buffalo City School District

Is McKinley Vocational High School a good school?

McKinley Vocational High School ranks in the bottom 3.3% of New York high schools.

How many students attend McKinley Vocational High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 862 students attended McKinley Vocational High School.

What is the racial makeup of McKinley Vocational High School?

Students at McKinley Vocational High School are 52% African American, 23% Hispanic, 12% White, 7% Asian, 5% Two or more races.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the WNYC and the New York State Department of Health and the NY State Education Department.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.