Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Some of Buffalo's charter schools are expanding, not necessarily just in class size, but in space and resources. And while Buffalo's population is trending downwards, charter schools continue to hear a fair amount of inquiries from parents about potential enrollment.
A prime example being the Buffalo Academy of Science (BuffSci), who are currently in the process of moving their high school operations to the former Medaille University campus located adjacent to Delaware Park starting next school year, giving Buffalo high schoolers the opportunity to learn in a more college-esque setting.
"Parents have a lot of choices out there and charter schools are one of the great ones. We get continued calls into our schools every day, asking about availability and how parents can enroll their students," says Janine Tramont, Director of Development and Capital Campaigns for BuffSci. "We definitely have seen an increase in those calls and in demand for charter schools in the City of Buffalo."
"I think the demand continues to be strong," adds Linda Marszalek, REACH Academy Charter School co-founder and head of school. "I think overall population though, in Buffalo, we're seeing that there's a downtick of students that are actually available to go into kindergarten. So if you look at the records over the years, you can see enrollment in the City of Buffalo overall, there's just not as many kids as there has been in the past, I think that has something to do with like the baby boom population and having that bubble, and then when their grandchildren are going, and we're kind of on the tail end of that, but the charter schools are still a strong option."
Despite that particular decline, REACH Academy currently has 701 students enrolled in grades K-7. They are allowed by New York State to have 900 students enrolled maximum, a number they expect to reach soon as next school year they are introducing Grade 8.
In addition, REACH Academy is also expanding. Marszalek notes they have recently moved their middle school operations to a new property on 266 Genesee Street, the property that once housed WNY Maritime Charter School, right across the street from their elementary school. The site has been undergoing renovations and Marszalek notes that the second half of the property will come online for the middle school students for the next school year.
Marszalek believes about 30% of students that are eligible to attend a public school in the Buffalo Public Schools district, actually attend a charter school. If two more charter schools were to open and built in Buffalo tomorrow, she says she wouldn't be surprised to see them filled.
"I think that there's a large number of people that might not be aware of the opportunities that charters pose, and don't quite understand that they're tuition-free, that they get buses there. And until they have more of an opportunity to go visit and see schools, they don't really know what it's all cracked up to be, and they're all different," says Marszalek. "What could be great for one child, may not be the right match for another. I would encourage parents to get out there and take a look at the schools and take the time to visit. And they'll know when they when they see and experience each of the different cultures in the schools."
