Ps 81

Ps 81 is an elementary school located in Buffalo, NY that serves grades PK-8 with a total enrollment of 756 students. The school is part of the Buffalo City School District, which is ranked 830 out of 874 districts in New York and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Ps 81 has consistently ranked in the bottom half of New York elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a ranking between 1473 and 2386 out of around 2,400 schools and a SchoolDigger star rating ranging from 0 to 2 stars.

Ps 81's academic performance, as measured by proficiency rates on New York state assessments, is significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 41.82% of 3rd graders at Ps 81 were proficient in ELA, compared to 54.15% statewide and 31.99% in the Buffalo City School District. The school's math proficiency rates are also low, with only 32.73% of 3rd graders and 11.29% of 5th graders meeting proficiency standards. Ps 81 also struggles to serve its diverse student population effectively, with the school's rankings for various student subgroups, such as Asian, African American, Hispanic, and English Language Learner students, all in the bottom half or bottom quarter of New York elementary schools.

When comparing Ps 81 to other nearby schools in the Buffalo City School District, it becomes clear that the academic struggles are not unique to Ps 81. Several other schools in the district, such as Dr. George Blackman ECC and West Hertel Elementary School, also perform poorly on state assessments and have low SchoolDigger rankings. However, the data also includes information on a few charter schools in the area, such as Primary Hall Preparatory Charter School and Buffalo United Charter School, which generally outperform Ps 81 and the other district-run schools on academic measures, suggesting that the charter school model may be more effective in this context.