2024 Best Middle Schools in the Buffalo Area

• Buffalo, NY•

• Private School•

• 5-12

• •
  Rating 4.34 out of 5  92 reviews

Senior: I came into Nichols as a Junior, and loved the campus and teaching style. There is no NYS regents exams which allows the teachers to spend more time on confusing topics and skip easier ones. Definitely a great education that is preparing for college. The sports are top notch. Nichols has prepared me to play Division 1 lacrosse and introduced me to multiple successful people playing college lacrosse. Although the school prioritizes academics, sports are not pushed aside. The food is amazing, we have wonderful chefs that make great food including a salad bar, grilled chicken, Ice cream machine, juices and whatever the main meal is of the day! The head of school is rational and intelligent, making great decisions to lead the school. Coming from a different school, I realize how special Nichols is and I wish I attended the school since 5th grade!... Read 92 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 567

• Student-teacher ratio 8:1

• Amherst, NY•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 3.8 out of 5  35 reviews

Senior: The Park School of Buffalo provides me with a lot of things that I find crucial in the sense of an academic upbringing. There’s an incredible art program that helps encourage students to pursue their own creativity. This is paired with a hand tailored schedule that is made to suit the individuals interests. While yes, there isn’t much choice given when you have to pick math, there’s an extensive list of English, history, and electives one can look into taking. Not only this, but they provide the student an opportunity to try an “independent study”. A student can come up with a specific topic they wish to learn about and ask a teacher to make it into an independent study, then giving the student the opportunity to learn about a topic that is not generally taught within the school. While of course certain things could use adapting, like the lunch menu, the school as a whole is relatively very enjoyable and is a good place to grow an individuals skills and talent.... Read 35 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 291

• Student-teacher ratio 7:1

• Williamsville, NY•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 4.13 out of 5  46 reviews

Senior: I'm a senior at Christian Central Academy and have attended since kindergarten, I love it! The teachers really care about the students and the culture of the school is one of growth and love. It is an academically rigorous school that promotes college readiness and AP classes of which I've taken many. There are small classes, rarely more than 20 students so everyone gets one one one time with the teachers and no one is overlooked. It has a safe and positive environment and I'm so grateful for my parents enrolling me here. Being a small school our sports teams have much fewer numbers but the student sections are filled with cheers and our high school girls varsity basketball team made state playoffs last year! Extracurriculars like music and clubs are promoted and everyone looks forward to (being in/watching) the high school play every year. CCA is a K-12 school in one building and friendships between grades are common and encouraging.... Read 46 reviews

• grade A

• Students 260

• Student-teacher ratio 6:1

• Williamsville Central School District, NY•

• 5-8

• •
  Rating 4.17 out of 5  6 reviews

Middle School Student: All the teachers are amazing, and the learning is incredible. I highly suggest moving here if you're considering the schools.... Read 6 reviews

• grade A

• Students 867

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Buffalo Public Schools, NY•

• 5-12

• •
  Rating 3.65 out of 5  235 reviews

Senior: I am a student at my high school for more than a year. Although I am very new, I have picked up on a few things that I really appreciate and enjoy. In my opinion, the school is the perfect size. The campus is my favorite part: It fits a gym and a pool, both of which my previous school did not have. All the teachers were very understanding and encouraging when I joined. City honors does offer the IB program which is another amazing bonus. Nevertheless there were a few hardships, although meeting new people is always nice, having to say goodbye to my old friends was pretty tough, and probably the only personal negative experience I had at City Honors School. The school quickly advised to join the soccer team where I met most of my new friends. I also become a certified Red Cross lifeguard thanks to the counselor. To me there are not many changes that can be done. The school is well organized and disciplined which helped in pushing me to better academic results and achievements.... Read 235 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,074

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Williamsville Central School District, NY•

• 5-8

• grade A

• Students 618

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• Williamsville Central School District, NY•

• 5-8

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Alum: Heim Middle School is in one of the best school districts in the area. It is also in one of the safest towns in the country. The teachers are excellent and enthusiastic. There are many academic opportunities including advanced classes, clubs, and activities. From what I remember the food was average middle school food - much room for improvement. But overall it is a great school!... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• Students 594

• Student-teacher ratio 9:1

• Clarence Central School District, NY•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

Parent: I have been impressed by the expansive opportunities that CMS students are given; from day-to-day course work to extracurriculars. Teachers at CMS show-up everyday engaged and ready to teach. CMS is a community that even the shyest of students can flourish in because there really IS something for everyone!... Read 1 review

• grade A

• Students 955

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Buffalo, NY•

• Private School•

• PK, K-12

• •
  Rating 4.04 out of 5  229 reviews

Alum: I was a student at Nardin from 7th grade (2016) to my senior year of High School (2022). I can confidently say that from an academic standpoint, Nardin is great, but I struggled socially. They were not a very diverse school and the lack of students and faculty of color had a deep negative effect on my mental health. I always felt ostracized, criticized, and misunderstood. The students were quite racist and some of the teachers were as well. I had a lack of support from the staff. Being a Catholic school, I expected more religion to be taught. I was highly disappointed in that. I enjoyed the activities they offered- very school spirit oriented. I have to say that Nardin taught me a lot. As a recent graduate, I find myself reflecting upon not only myself but the world around me. I ask myself; Am I embodying the characteristics of a Nardin student? What would Jesus do? What good have I done for the world today? If Nardin gave me anything, it gave me pride and a unique outlook on life.... Read 229 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 913

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• Williamsville Central School District, NY•

• 5-8

• •
  Rating 2 out of 5  3 reviews

Parent: Both of my autistic sons went here and had a pleasant time. The staff is great~ I highly recommend them.... Read 3 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 803

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Amherst Central School District, NY•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  2 reviews

Middle School Student: The teachers are pretty nice and are very contagious about your grade when it's low. School is cleaned like everyday, and usually when you ask a teacher a question they reply asap. Gym is real fun and people motivates you to play a sport. Overall a 4 star because it's a nice school, but the school food could be better.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 694

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• Buffalo Public Schools, NY•

• 5-12

• •
  Rating 3.98 out of 5  135 reviews

Sophomore: The best part of Olmsted is the diversity, you will really feel at home with Olmsted! With this being said the school is great if your looking for a long term family, and if your athletic it offers many sports programs! In the upcoming years I would definitely like to see a change in funding, things like Nike tech or tents for sporting events are hard to come by, mainly being cause we are a Public School.... Read 135 reviews

• grade A minus

• Students 909

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Starpoint Central School District, NY•

• 6-8

• grade A minus

• Students 686

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Cheektowaga-Maryvale Union Free School District, NY•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

Middle School Student: My experience has been pretty good at Maryvale Middle School. All of the teachers were very nice and there were many good opportunities. So overall a very good experience. If I would have to choose one thing I would like to see happen, I would have to say that I would want to see more color and expectant on all of the walls throughout the halls.... Read 1 review

• grade A minus

• Students 459

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Buffalo, NY•

• Public School•

• 5-12

• •
  Rating 3.9 out of 5  30 reviews

Senior: Western New York Maritime Charter School has been a fantastic school of choice for me and hundreds of other students for the past few years. The environment created at this school is unlike any other. The entire student body are enrolled as jrotc students which allows the staff to teach us valuable lessons missing in other schools. The biggest of these is leadership, with many teams and almost all day to day operations being overlooked or run via these respected and trusted students. The school also has some of the best staff I've encountered at any school ever. very rarely is there an unliked or ineffective teacher. The combination of these two things really makes it among the top places to attend in the area, in my opinion.... Read 30 reviews

• grade B+

• Students 418

• Student-teacher ratio 9:1

• Niagara-Wheatfield Central School District, NY•

• 6-8

• grade B+

• Students 754

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Orchard Park Central School District, NY•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

Alum: Orchard Park Middle Shool provides students with acedemic rigor that will prepare them for a successful high school experience while also giving opportunities to join an abundance of clubs and sports.... Read 1 review

• grade B+

• Students 1,066

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• East Aurora Union Free School District, NY•

• 5-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

Middle School Student: good school, good teachers and extra caricular activities, but not very diverse, out of almost 180 kids in my grade there are 3 kids that are not white.... Read 1 review

• grade B+

• Students 506

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Buffalo, NY•

• Public School•

• K-12

• •
  Rating 4.33 out of 5  61 reviews

Alum: Well from the start of freshman year, the teachers understood me in how advanced I was. At the end of freshman year and all the way through my sophomore year it was online classes. The school provided supplies and were understanding about being at home. My junior year was a little more stressful due to taking an AP course. My senior year went by fast because of all the fun and relaxed the teachers were. I would like to see more students involved in planning events and so forth. I would also like to see the lunches to be better and vary in options.... Read 61 reviews

• grade B+

• Students 936

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Hamburg Central School District, NY•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

High School Senior: My overall experience has been so welcoming.... Read 1 review

• grade B+

• Students 754

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• Iroquois Central School District, NY•

• 6-8

• grade B

• Students 473

• Student-teacher ratio 9:1

• Lancaster Central School District, NY•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  1 review

• grade B

• Students 830

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Grand Island Central School District, NY•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  2 reviews

Senior: My middle school experience was everything I had expected. My school district did a great job preparing us for the transition from elementary school. Numerous visits and shadowing opportunities took place. We were allowed to visit any time during the summer prior to starting and practice opening lockers and walk fake schedules to prepare for both of those things on the first day. The school always made it easy to becoming involved in activities, clubs and sports. Not a week went by that some sort of school spirit day or activity was not held. I never felt that teachers were unavailable for support. It was an all around great learning and growing environment. I was completely prepared for the transition to high school!... Read 2 reviews

• grade B

• Students 656

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Sweet Home Central School District, NY•

• 6-8

• grade B

• Students 765

• Student-teacher ratio 10:1

• Frontier Central School District, NY•

• 6-8

• grade B

• Students 1,074

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1