Is McKinley Vocational High School a good school?

McKinley Vocational High School ranks in the bottom 2.9% of New York high schools.

How many students attend McKinley Vocational High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 986 students attended McKinley Vocational High School.

What is the racial makeup of McKinley Vocational High School?

Students at McKinley Vocational High School are 55% African American, 22% Hispanic, 10% White, 8% Asian, 4% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

McKinley Vocational High School

Summary:

McKinley Vocational High School is a public high school in Buffalo, New York, serving 986 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Buffalo City School District, which is ranked 821 out of 865 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Unfortunately, McKinley Vocational High School has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of New York high schools over the past decade, with a current ranking of 1206 out of 1242 high schools in the state.

The school faces significant challenges, including low graduation rates ranging from 61.6% to 85.1% in recent years, much lower than the state average of around 80%. Chronic absenteeism is also a major issue, with rates ranging from 34.1% to 85.4%, far exceeding state and district averages. Proficiency rates on Regents/Common Core exams are consistently well below state and district averages across all subject areas, and the school struggles to serve its diverse student population, with rankings for various subgroups all in the bottom 10-20% of New York high schools. Despite spending between $12,251 and $14,913 per student, which is higher than the state average, the school has not shown significant improvement over the past decade.

In contrast, nearby schools in the Buffalo City School District, such as Buffalo Academy for the Visual & Performing Arts and Middle Early College High School, generally outperform McKinley Vocational High School on key metrics, suggesting that the challenges faced by McKinley Vocational High School may be unique to the school. The school's vocational focus and the socioeconomic status of its students, with 84.12% to 88.34% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, may be contributing factors to the persistent challenges the school faces.

Detail:

Public 9-12

1500 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14207-3086

(716) 816-4480

District: Buffalo City School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1206^th of 1,242 New York High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,913

Student/teacher ratio: 10.2

Number of students: 986

Racial breakdown:

African American:

55.4%

Hispanic:

21.5%

White:

9.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 88.3%

See top rated New York high schools

Compare McKinley Vocational High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details McKinley Vocational High School ranks worse than 97.1% of high schools in New York. It also ranks 18^th among 20 ranked high schools in the Buffalo City School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 5.1. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at McKinley Vocational High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (55.4%), Hispanic (21.5%), White (9.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 88.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at McKinley Vocational High School is 10.2. 13 high schools in the Buffalo City School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare McKinley Vocational High School employs 96.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at McKinley Vocational High School is $14,913. 13 high schools in the Buffalo City School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

McKinley Vocational High School:

SchoolDigger ranks McKinley Vocational High School 1206^th of 1242 New York public high schools. (See McKinley Vocational High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Buffalo City School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Buffalo City School District 821^st of 865 New York school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for McKinley Vocational High School

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Rank History for all students at McKinley Vocational High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2005	25.67	757^th	935	19.0%
2006	25.96	775^th	986	21.4%
2007	22.55	816^th	1002	18.6%
2008	21.94	836^th	1027	18.6%
2009	24.72	849^th	1086	21.8%
2010	13.46	1002^nd	1117	10.3%
2011	20.22	959^th	1165	17.7%
2012	11.63	1047^th	1198	12.6%
2013	14.25	1004^th	1217	17.5%
2014	11.92	1086^th	1237	12.2%
2015	18.65	1032^nd	1255	17.8%
2016	31.43	875^th	1255	30.3%
2017	20.71	926^th	1221	24.2%
2018	17.96	973^rd	1210	19.6%
2019	21.17	939^th	1207	22.2%
2022	3.86	1166^th	1190	2.0%
2023	4.53	1196^th	1228	2.6%
2024	5.10	1206^th	1242	2.9%

See the entire list of New York High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at McKinley Vocational High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	8.84	265^th	272	2.6%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at McKinley Vocational High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	45.74	270^th	546	50.5%
2019	51.43	219^th	565	61.2%
2022	26.63	397^th	481	17.5%
2023	31.16	441^st	583	24.4%
2024	25.00	550^th	637	13.7%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at McKinley Vocational High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	37.30	662^nd	1095	39.5%
2019	47.59	551^st	1132	51.3%
2022	14.92	970^th	1038	6.6%
2023	12.65	1084^th	1130	4.1%
2024	12.70	1102^nd	1144	3.7%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at McKinley Vocational High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	18.22	971^st	1154	15.9%
2019	23.22	928^th	1179	21.3%
2022	4.11	1081^st	1101	1.8%
2023	4.68	1125^th	1155	2.6%
2024	5.02	1140^th	1170	2.6%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at McKinley Vocational High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	28.98	384^th	498	22.9%
2019	36.94	315^th	493	36.1%
2023	26.36	438^th	531	17.5%
2024	17.22	529^th	564	6.2%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at McKinley Vocational High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	18.63	974^th	1176	17.2%
2019	20.09	961^st	1193	19.4%
2022	3.22	1138^th	1155	1.5%
2023	5.93	1153^rd	1197	3.7%
2024	5.81	1194^th	1219	2.1%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at McKinley Vocational High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	18.06	966^th	1176	17.9%
2019	23.82	913^th	1190	23.3%
2022	3.96	1121^st	1154	2.9%
2023	4.06	1167^th	1191	2.0%
2024	5.75	1172^nd	1211	3.2%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at McKinley Vocational High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	4.10	417^th	426	2.1%
2019	10.03	418^th	447	6.5%
2022	0.63	385^th	386	0.3%
2023	4.31	412^th	424	2.8%
2024	4.19	412^th	426	3.3%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at McKinley Vocational High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	29.59	499^th	679	26.5%
2019	33.55	456^th	686	33.5%
2022	6.32	591^st	593	0.3%
2023	9.98	642^nd	671	4.3%
2024	9.42	666^th	690	3.5%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at McKinley Vocational High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	35.52	511^th	791	35.4%
2019	32.74	550^th	815	32.5%
2022	6.16	749^th	760	1.4%
2023	6.46	829^th	851	2.6%
2024	9.67	822^nd	865	5.0%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at McKinley Vocational High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	19.34	686^th	765	10.3%
2019	14.74	729^th	793	8.1%
2022	1.93	725^th	738	1.8%
2023	3.34	751^st	776	3.2%
2024	3.29	765^th	781	2.0%

See the entire list of Best New York High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: NY State Education Department, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: NY State Education Department

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

50%

Reviews:

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

Enrollment information for McKinley Vocational High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1989	725	434	9	69	16	n/a	n/a	1253
1990	687	438	23	64	16	n/a	n/a	1228
1991	640	392	16	58	15	n/a	n/a	1121
1992	649	470	11	67	21	n/a	n/a	1218
1993	626	447	11	93	23	n/a	n/a	1200
1994	600	436	13	108	21	n/a	n/a	1178
1995	638	391	15	129	15	n/a	n/a	1188
1996	638	391	15	129	15	n/a	n/a	1188
1997	661	392	20	137	17	n/a	n/a	1227
1998	657	376	23	133	18	n/a	n/a	1207
1999	596	396	27	152	16	n/a	n/a	1187
2000	563	430	35	145	22	n/a	n/a	1195
2001	533	468	30	152	18	n/a	n/a	1201
2002	463	541	23	141	22	n/a	n/a	1190
2003	463	541	23	141	22	n/a	n/a	1190
2004	433	520	15	132	20	n/a	n/a	1120
2005	427	549	14	152	29	n/a	n/a	1171
2006	397	561	13	149	32	n/a	n/a	1152
2007	355	574	15	147	33	n/a	n/a	1124
2008	313	617	17	141	35	n/a	n/a	1123
2009	303	671	18	163	30	n/a	n/a	1185
2010	258	671	19	169	33	n/a	n/a	1150
2011	206	673	21	166	29	0	3	1098
2012	182	653	34	184	23	0	4	1080
2013	141	592	43	179	24	0	6	985
2014	142	572	48	179	20	0	7	968
2015	130	580	65	186	18	0	7	986
2016	133	579	77	179	19	0	6	993
2017	145	605	92	182	15	0	13	1052
2018	143	586	125	182	11	1	15	1063
2019	119	580	111	194	13	1	18	1036
2020	100	551	109	192	15	1	22	990
2021	96	555	95	189	13	1	27	976
2022	82	558	82	208	15	1	38	984
2023	96	546	78	212	12	0	42	986

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at McKinley Vocational High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	1253	92.7	13.5	n/a
1990	1228	91.9	13.3	n/a
1991	1121	85.1	13.1	n/a
1992	1218	83.9	14.5	n/a
1993	1200	85.5	14.0	n/a
1994	1178	86.9	13.6	36.8
1995	1188	87.0	13.7	42.3
1996	1188	87.0	13.7	42.3
1997	1227	81.1	15.1	39.8
1998	1207	78.0	15.5	44.3
1999	1187	82.0	14.5	45.7
2000	1195	85.0	14.1	83.5
2001	1201	85.0	14.1	46.3
2002	1190	79.0	15.1	55.3
2003	1190	79.0	15.1	55.3
2004	1120	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	1171	73.6	15.9	64.7
2006	1152	69.0	16.7	71.4
2007	1124	77.6	14.5	77.4
2008	1123	78.0	14.4	89.5
2009	1185	81.0	14.6	74.1
2010	1150	83.0	13.8	73.2
2011	1098	76.9	14.2	79.1
2012	1080	86.4	12.4	76.3
2013	985	86.4	11.3	76.9
2014	968	83.4	11.6	n/a
2015	986	75.0	13.1	10.6
2016	993	72.0	13.7	71.1
2017	1052	60.5	17.3	60.8
2018	1063	82.0	12.9	77.4
2019	1036	88.0	11.7	79.7
2020	990	94.0	10.5	81.8
2021	976	84.3	11.5	84.1
2022	984	93.8	10.4	85.7
2023	986	96.5	10.2	88.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio McKinley Vocational High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	1253	92.7	13.5	n/a
1990	1228	91.9	13.3	n/a
1991	1121	85.1	13.1	n/a
1992	1218	83.9	14.5	n/a
1993	1200	85.5	14.0	n/a
1994	1178	86.9	13.6	36.8
1995	1188	87.0	13.7	42.3
1996	1188	87.0	13.7	42.3
1997	1227	81.1	15.1	39.8
1998	1207	78.0	15.5	44.3
1999	1187	82.0	14.5	45.7
2000	1195	85.0	14.1	83.5
2001	1201	85.0	14.1	46.3
2002	1190	79.0	15.1	55.3
2003	1190	79.0	15.1	55.3
2004	1120	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	1171	73.6	15.9	64.7
2006	1152	69.0	16.7	71.4
2007	1124	77.6	14.5	77.4
2008	1123	78.0	14.4	89.5
2009	1185	81.0	14.6	74.1
2010	1150	83.0	13.8	73.2
2011	1098	76.9	14.2	79.1
2012	1080	86.4	12.4	76.3
2013	985	86.4	11.3	76.9
2014	968	83.4	11.6	n/a
2015	986	75.0	13.1	10.6
2016	993	72.0	13.7	71.1
2017	1052	60.5	17.3	60.8
2018	1063	82.0	12.9	77.4
2019	1036	88.0	11.7	79.7
2020	990	94.0	10.5	81.8
2021	976	84.3	11.5	84.1
2022	984	93.8	10.4	85.7
2023	986	96.5	10.2	88.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Immunization Rates