Photo: Azure /Mark Seymour · CC BY-SA 3.0Amherst and its edges hold 5 schools: 4 elementary schools and 1 secondary school
Chignecto Central Regional Centre for Education is the only board. The province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20, which leaves towns in Nova Scotia without a schools grade.
Where the 5 schools in and around Amherst are
Every school as a pin, coloured by system; each opens its own page.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Amherst
English, French and other languages of instruction, beside the mix in Nova Scotia.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in Nova Scotia.
No school here teaches in French.
Section 23 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms gives French-speaking parents the right to French-language schooling for their children, through the French-language boards.
Who runs Amherst’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English and French public boards, independent and other schools.
One system runs them: every one English public.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How children get a place in Amherst
The neighbourhood school
Each school serves a defined area. A place elsewhere is possible when that school has room.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 5 schools in and around Amherst
High schools within reach of Amherst
Every secondary school within 15 km of the town, nearest first.
The one high school within 15 km is Amherst Regional High, at 1.2 km.
| School | Board | System | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst Regional HighSecondary · Grades 9–RG | Chignecto Central Regional Centre for Education | English public | 1.2 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Towns its size in Nova Scotia
Towns of a similar population, with their schools in or within 3 km; described, not ranked.
| Town | Population | Schools | French | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Sackville | 14,898 | 15 | 1 | 0.7 km |
| … | ||||
| Eastern Passage | 10,745 | 17 | 1 | 0.8 km |
| Yarmouth | 10,637 | 8 | 1 | 8.4 km |
| New Glasgow | 10,378 | 6 | 0 | 3 km |
| Portland Estates | 10,164 | 29 | 0 | 2 km |
| Amherst | 10,072 | 5 | 0 | 1.2 km |
| Bridgewater | 9,989 | 5 | 1 | 0.2 km |
| Hatchet Lake | 9,930 | 19 | 0 | 1.8 km |
| Antigonish County, Subdivision A | 9,682 | 5 | 0 | 2.8 km |
| Mount Royale | 9,340 | 24 | 0 | 0.4 km |
| … | ||||
| Cumberland County, Subdivision C | 6,040 | 7 | 0 | 8.1 km |
Among 38 towns its size, 30 have more schools nearby. Of the 39, 14 offer a French-language school.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around Amherst
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | French | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 km |
| Cumberland County, Subdivision C 9.1 km | 7 | 0 | 0 | 8.1 km |
| Sackville 15 km | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 km |
| Sackville 18 km | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 km |
The neighbour with most schools is Cumberland County, Subdivision C (7).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The kinds of school. The levels follow each school’s published grades: elementary below Grade 7 or 9, secondary above, all-grade when it runs the whole way.
- Which schools count. The area is Amherst plus a 3 km margin around it, measured from its census outline.
- What isn’t here. Inspection reports with ratings don’t exist here, and the lists give enrolment for one year at most.
- Boards and systems. A school’s board decides its language; the province funds no separate Catholic system.
- The year. 2025-26, the latest open list.
Questions about schools in Amherst
Is there a French-language school in Amherst?
Not near Amherst: within 3 km there is none, and the French-language board points to the closest.
How do I get a place at a school in Amherst?
Contact the board: it names the school for your address and takes the registration.
Sources: Nova Scotia Department of Education, school contact list 2025-26 (Open Government Licence – Nova Scotia) · map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).