Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0Pelham’s public schools outscore 66% of Massachusetts districts
Reading proficiency in Pelham’s districts is 59%, above the Massachusetts average (44%). The grade covers the two public school districts serving Pelham, 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.
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.
Pelham’s schools, in brief
Better than its incomes would predict
Among the 289 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Pelham’s, its schools beat 78%, higher than their 66% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Pelham runs its own schools through grade 6, then shares
Pelham Elementary (K–6) is Pelham’s own. From grade 7, students attend the Amherst-Pelham School District with Amherst Town, Leverett and Shutesbury: Amherst Regional Middle School in Amherst, then Amherst Regional High in Amherst. The high school’s own results earn an A+, the highest on the path; the middle school earns an A−. See the path ↓
Above the state on both counts
Reading proficiency is 59% and math 50% 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-Pelham spends $31,061 per student and Pelham $25,008, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓
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.
What’s behind Pelham’s grade
B+: better than 66% of Massachusetts school districts. Test scores and graduation are both above the Massachusetts average; test scores are the stronger of the two.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Pelham, with each school’s own grade.
Kindergarten in Pelham
Pelham Elementary
Grades K–6 · 128 students · 11:1 students per teacher
1st grade in Pelham
Pelham Elementary
Grades K–6 · 128 students · 11:1 students per teacher
2nd grade in Pelham
Pelham Elementary
Grades K–6 · 128 students · 11:1 students per teacher
3rd grade in Pelham
Pelham Elementary
Grades K–6 · 128 students · 11:1 students per teacher
4th grade in Pelham
Pelham Elementary
Grades K–6 · 128 students · 11:1 students per teacher
5th grade in Pelham
Pelham Elementary
Grades K–6 · 128 students · 11:1 students per teacher
6th grade in Pelham
Pelham Elementary
Grades K–6 · 128 students · 11:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Pelham
Amherst Regional Middle School
Grades 7–8 · 366 students · 9:1 students per teacher · in Amherst
8th grade in Pelham
Amherst Regional Middle School
Grades 7–8 · 366 students · 9:1 students per teacher · in Amherst
9th grade in Pelham
Amherst Regional High
Grades 9–12 · 816 students · 11:1 students per teacher · in Amherst
10th grade in Pelham
Amherst Regional High
Grades 9–12 · 816 students · 11:1 students per teacher · in Amherst
Pelham runs its own schools through grade 6 (Pelham School District). From grade 7, students attend the Amherst-Pelham School District, shared with Amherst Town, Leverett and Shutesbury. Its middle school is in Amherst. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
Two districts serve Pelham
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well above the state in reading
Pelham vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Pelham’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Pelham | B+ | Pelham K–6 · Amherst-Pelham 7–12 |
| New Salem | C− | New Salem-Wendell PK–6 · Ralph C. Mahar 7–12 |
| Belchertown | B− | Belchertown |
| Amherst Town | B | Amherst PK–6 · Amherst-Pelham 7–12 |
| Shutesbury | B+ | Shutesbury PK–6 · Amherst-Pelham 7–12 |
2 of the 4 neighbors share Amherst-Pelham with Pelham for grades 7–12, so their letters differ mainly through the lower grades.
Every school in Pelham
3 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).
Questions about Pelham’s schools
Are Pelham’s schools good?
By Massachusetts’s own tests, yes: the public schools Pelham children attend outscore 66% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B+ Schools grade. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 78%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Pelham in?
Two districts: Pelham School District runs grades K–6, and Amherst-Pelham School District runs grades 7–12, shared with Amherst Town, Leverett and Shutesbury.
Where do Pelham kids go to high school?
Amherst Regional High in Amherst, with 816 students; its own test results earn an A+.
What is Pelham’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 Pelham spend per student?
$31,061 in Amherst-Pelham School District and $25,008 in Pelham School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Parents talk
What Pelham families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Pelham → 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.