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Best Elementary Schools in Amherst, VA

At a glance

Schools

668

Students

Top rankedTemperance Elementary308^th of 1,110 Virginia elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Temperance Elementary up 10 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

The city of Amherst, Virginia is home to three elementary schools: Central Elementary, Amherst Elementary, and Temperance Elementary. These schools serve students from prekindergarten through 5th grade and are part of the Amherst County Public Schools district.

Among the three schools, Temperance Elementary stands out as the top performer. It ranks 308th out of 1,110 Virginia elementary schools and earns a 4-star rating, outperforming the district and state averages in mathematics, reading, science, and Virginia studies. In 2024-2025, an impressive 85.71% of 5th graders at Temperance Elementary were proficient or better in mathematics and science, and 100% of 4th graders were proficient or better in reading.

The other two schools, Central Elementary and Amherst Elementary, face some challenges, with all three Amherst elementary schools having high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, ranging from 79.4% to 81.11%. Additionally, the district as a whole is ranked 96th out of 129 districts in Virginia and rated 1 star, suggesting significant variation in school quality within the district. Factors such as per-student spending and chronic absenteeism rates may contribute to the performance disparities between the schools.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SOL Mathematics (2025)			SOL Science (2025)	SOL English Reading (2025)			SOL VA Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Amherst Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	156 Davis St	Amherst	24521	Amherst County	Amherst County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 946-9704	307	22	13.9	83.4%	193 (62.9%)	46 (15.0%)	29 (9.4%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (11.4%)	53.7	557^th of 1110 public elementary schools	49.8%		55.8	540^th of 1114 public elementary schools	51.5%	17	77.8	71.4	65.2	58.7	75.6	85.7	65.2	80.5	$11,022	$1,610	$9,413
Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	575 Union Hill Rd	Amherst	24521	Amherst County	Amherst County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 946-9700	268	25	10.7	82.8%	151 (56.3%)	51 (19.0%)	16 (6.0%)	5 (1.9%)	7 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (14.2%)	11.4	1014^th of 1110 public elementary schools	8.6%		26.7	880^th of 1114 public elementary schools	21.0%	134	52.3	65.8	42.9	45.7	44.2	60.5	42.9	31.6	$11,986	$1,316	$10,670
Temperance Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1981 Lowesville Rd	Amherst	24521	Amherst County	Amherst County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 946-2811	93	7	13.2	82.8%	81 (87.1%)	5 (5.4%)	4 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.2%)	73.1	308^th of 1110 public elementary schools	72.3%		72.5	318^th of 1114 public elementary schools	71.5%	10	66.7	86.7	85.7	85.7	72.2	100.0	78.6	86.7	$12,287	$595	$11,692

Cities Near Amherst

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Madison Heights	7.85 mi	5	316^th
Lynchburg	11.74 mi	29	304^th
Arrington	12.35 mi	1	192^nd
Lovingston	14.11 mi	2	103^rd
Concord	16.96 mi	1	140^th

See the top VA Virginia cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.