New York State organizes the state school system into legal jurisdictions known as School Districts. At the top level the state is broken into ten Joint Management Team (JMT) Regions; all of the Buffalo area falls within the Western NY JMT.
At the next level down, most school districts are organized within a Supervisor School District, known as a Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES). The BOCES provides certain joint services to all the schools within its district. Some school districts are not included in a BOCES, for example, the Buffalo City School District falls within the Erie 1 BOCES area, but is not part of the BOCES. The following BOCES or non-BOCES school districts serve some part of the greater Buffalo area:
- Cattaraugus-Allegany-Erie-Wyoming BOCES
- Erie 1 BOCES
- Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES
- Orleans-Niagara BOCES
- Buffalo City School District
Each school district is a legal entity and administers and controls the school systems within its specified district. The districts do not always coincide with a specific town and may include multiple towns. The school districts have varying powers and authority to provide education at various levels; see School Districts in New York for the names and powers of these entities. See each BOCES for lists of schools within that BOCES District
Districts Listed on BufWiki
School Districts on BufWiki |