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Amherst, MA (cropped) 2Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0
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Schools in Amherst Town · Amherst School District, Amherst-Pelham School District

Amherst Town’s public schools outscore 58% of Massachusetts districts

In Amherst Town, 53% of tested students read at a proficient level, above the Massachusetts average (44%). The grade covers the two public school districts serving Amherst Town, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Massachusetts, not nationally.

#128of 283 Massachusetts townsK–12Where will my kid go?

From Massachusetts state tests taken in spring 2022, when 91% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
53%
▲ 10 pts vs MA 44%
2021–22
Math proficiency
46%
▲ 5 pts vs MA 41%
2021–22
Graduate on time
91%
▲ 2 pts vs MA 89%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$31.1K
▲ 17% vs MA $26.5K
FY2024 · Amherst-Pelham
Students per teacher
10.0
MA 11.9 · smaller classes
Schools in town
7
2,220 students on the public path
In brief

Amherst Town’s schools, in brief

Better than its incomes would predict

Among the 99 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Amherst Town’s, its schools beat 86%, higher than their 58% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Above the state on both counts

Reading proficiency is 53% and math 46% across both districts in spring 2022, against 44% and 41% statewide; 91% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 89%. Test scores ↓

Spending and class size

Amherst spends $35,225 per student and Amherst-Pelham $31,061, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓

Choice beyond the district

The Common School (private) and Amherst Montessori School (private) are in town. Every school ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Amherst Town’s grade

B Test scoresC Graduation

B: better than 58% of Massachusetts school districts, #128 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the Massachusetts average; test scores are the stronger of the two.

Massachusetts school districts we grade (394)Better than 58%
Lower resultsHigher results
Massachusetts towns with similar household incomes (99)Better than 86%
B−B+A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 1,090 test results and a graduating class of 219 could put Amherst Town anywhere from B− to B+. The tests are from spring 2022, when 91% of Amherst Town’s students in the tested grades sat them (1,095 in math, 1,086 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Amherst Town, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
K–63 schoolsDepends on your addressB to B+
7–8Amherst Regional Middle SchoolAmherst-Pelham School DistrictA−
9–12Amherst Regional HighAmherst-Pelham School DistrictA+

Amherst Town runs its own schools through grade 6 (Amherst School District). From grade 7, students attend the Amherst-Pelham School District, shared with Leverett, Pelham and Shutesbury. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

Two districts serve Amherst Town

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Amherst School DistrictGrades PK–6 · 3 schools · 1,038 students · 9.4 per teacher (MA 11.9)
$35,225MA $26,530 · FY2024
B−
Amherst-Pelham School DistrictGrades 7–12 · 2 schools · 1,182 students, down 8% since 2020–21 · 10.6 per teacher (MA 11.9)
$31,061MA $26,530 · FY2024
B
Test scores · 2021–22

Well above the state in reading

Reading · PK–6, Amherst School District48%
State average 43.7% · 549 students tested
Math · PK–6, Amherst School District43%
State average 40.7% · 539 students tested
Reading · 7–12, Amherst-Pelham School District59%
State average 43.7% · 537 students tested
Math · 7–12, Amherst-Pelham School District48%
State average 40.7% · 556 students tested

Amherst Town vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Amherst Town’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
Amherst TownBAmherst PK–6 · Amherst-Pelham 7–12
GranbyDGranby
HadleyBHadley
South HadleyCSouth Hadley
PelhamB+Pelham K–6 · Amherst-Pelham 7–12
BelchertownB−Belchertown
ShutesburyB+Shutesbury PK–6 · Amherst-Pelham 7–12
LeverettBLeverett PK–6 · Amherst-Pelham 7–12

3 of the 7 neighbors share Amherst-Pelham with Amherst Town for grades 7–12, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.

Every school in Amherst Town

7 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Massachusetts’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

District schools in Amherst Townby address
Crocker Farm Elementary
Elementary · Grades PK–6 · Amherst
B+
353 students10:1Rate it →
Fort River Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Amherst
B
371 students9:1Rate it →
Wildwood Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–6 · Amherst
B
314 students9:1Rate it →
Amherst Regional Middle School
Middle · Grades 7–8 · Amherst
A−
366 students9:1Rate it →
Amherst Regional High
High · Grades 9–12 · Amherst
A+
816 students11:1Rate it →
Private schoolstuition; no state tests, so no grade
The Common School
Elementary · Grades PK–6 · Amherst
Private · Nonsectarian
107 students7:1Rate it →
Amherst Montessori School
Elementary · Grades PK–4 · Amherst
Private · Nonsectarian
78 students10:1Rate it →

Questions about Amherst Town’s schools

Are Amherst Town’s schools good?

They sit near the middle of Massachusetts: the public schools Amherst Town children attend outscore 58% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B Schools grade, #128 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 86%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Amherst Town in?

Two districts: Amherst School District runs grades PK–6, and Amherst-Pelham School District runs grades 7–12, shared with Leverett, Pelham and Shutesbury.

Where do Amherst Town kids go to high school?

Amherst Regional High in Amherst, with 816 students; its own test results earn an A+.

What is Amherst Town’s graduation rate?

91% of the class of 2023 in Amherst-Pelham School District graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts.

How much does Amherst Town spend per student?

$35,225 in Amherst School District and $31,061 in Amherst-Pelham School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Are there private schools in Amherst Town?

Yes: The Common School (nonsectarian, grades PK–6, 107 students) and Amherst Montessori School (nonsectarian, grades PK–4, 78 students).

Parents talk

What Amherst Town families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Amherst Town → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Massachusetts. Stars are from neighbors.