Amherst

Amherst is served by three public elementary schools — Crocker Farm Elementary (PK–6), Fort River Elementary (K–6), and Wildwood Elementary (K–6) — all part of the Amherst district, which ranks 119th of 351 Massachusetts districts at the 66th percentile with 3 stars; together the three schools enroll 1,038 students, averaging 346 each, with Fort River the largest and Wildwood the smallest.

Crocker Farm is the strongest overall, ranking 249th of 899 schools (72nd percentile, 4 stars) and holding the only 4-star rating. Its ELA results are remarkably steady across 3rd through 6th grade, spanning only about 3.9 percentage points. Wildwood ranks 312th (65th percentile, 3 stars), but posts the highest science score (57.50%) and an exceptional 5th-grade cohort that led all three schools in ELA, math, and science; other grade levels are more uneven. Fort River ranks lowest at 346th (62nd percentile, 3 stars) yet has standout pockets — 3rd-grade math at 59.57% and 6th-grade math at 52.73%, both the best of the three — alongside a weak 5th-grade cohort.

In 2025–2026, all three schools beat the state in all-grade ELA, math, and science, and each sits near the district average or above it. Science is assessed only in 5th grade here, so its year-to-year swings — such as Wildwood rising from 40.00% to 57.50% while Fort River fell from 60.34% to 41.86% — reflect cohort changes rather than clear instructional shifts. Student-teacher ratios are nearly identical (9.2, 9.7, 9.2), and 2020–2021 per-student spending, from $26,368 to $29,305, does not track with outcomes; free/reduced lunch data is not reported, so socioeconomic context is unknown.