Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Shutesbury

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Community Church, Shutesbury MAPhoto: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0
B+
Schools in Shutesbury · Amherst-Pelham School District, Shutesbury School District

Shutesbury’s public schools outscore 65% of Massachusetts districts

On the state reading tests, 60% of Shutesbury’s students scored proficient, above the Massachusetts average (44%). The grade covers the two public school districts serving Shutesbury, 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.

K–12Where will my kid go?

From Massachusetts state tests taken in spring 2022, when 90% 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
60%
▲ 16 pts vs MA 44%
2021–22
Math proficiency
48%
▲ 7 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
10.1
MA 11.9 · smaller classes
Schools in town
1
1,307 students on the public path
In brief

Shutesbury’s schools, in brief

Better than its incomes would predict

Among the 283 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Shutesbury’s, its schools beat 70%, higher than their 65% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Shutesbury runs its own schools through grade 6, then shares

Shutesbury Elementary (PK–6) is Shutesbury’s own. From grade 7, students attend the Amherst-Pelham School District with Amherst Town, Leverett and Pelham: 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 60% and math 48% 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 Shutesbury $29,721, 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.

The School Grade

What’s behind Shutesbury’s grade

B+ Test scoresC Graduation

B+: better than 65% of Massachusetts school districts. 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 65%
Lower resultsHigher results
Massachusetts towns with similar household incomes (283)Better than 70%
Towns in Franklin County (23)Better than 96%
B−A−A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 600 test results and a graduating class of 219 could put Shutesbury anywhere from B− to A−. The tests are from spring 2022, when 90% of Shutesbury’s students in the tested grades sat them (611 in math, 591 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

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

The path, start to finish
PK–6Shutesbury ElementaryShutesbury School DistrictB
7–8Amherst Regional Middle Schoolin AmherstA−
9–12Amherst Regional Highin AmherstA+

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

Two districts serve Shutesbury

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

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
Shutesbury School DistrictGrades PK–6 · 1 schools · 125 students, up 12% since 2020–21 · 6.8 per teacher (MA 11.9)
$29,721MA $26,530 · FY2024
A−
Test scores · 2021–22

Well above the state in reading

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
Reading · PK–6, Shutesbury School District64%
State average 43.7% · 54 students tested
Math · PK–6, Shutesbury School District44%
State average 40.7% · 55 students tested

Shutesbury vs. its neighbors

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

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
ShutesburyB+Shutesbury PK–6 · Amherst-Pelham 7–12
New SalemC−New Salem-Wendell PK–6 · Ralph C. Mahar 7–12
Amherst TownBAmherst PK–6 · Amherst-Pelham 7–12
PelhamB+Pelham K–6 · Amherst-Pelham 7–12

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

Every school in Shutesbury

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).

District schools in Shutesburyby address
Shutesbury Elementary
Elementary · Grades PK–6
B
125 students7:1Rate it →
Also serving Shutesburyin other towns
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 →

Questions about Shutesbury’s schools

Are Shutesbury’s schools good?

By Massachusetts’s own tests, yes: the public schools Shutesbury children attend outscore 65% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B+ Schools grade. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 70%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Shutesbury in?

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

Where do Shutesbury kids go to high school?

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

What is Shutesbury’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 Shutesbury spend per student?

$31,061 in Amherst-Pelham School District and $29,721 in Shutesbury School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What Shutesbury families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Shutesbury → 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.