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Fort River Elementary

Q: Is Fort River Elementary a good school?

Fort River Elementary ranks 346 th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

346^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 899 Massachusetts Elementary Schools

Better than 62% of Massachusetts elementary schools

Summary

Fort River Elementary is a K–6 school at 70 South East Street in Amherst, Massachusetts, serving 371 students — the largest enrollment among Amherst's three elementary schools and one of the largest in its comparison group.

In 2025–2026, Fort River Elementary ranked 346th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools — 62nd percentile, 3 stars. That is above the state median, but it is the lowest-ranked of the three Amherst elementaries. The school beats the state in all three tested subjects (48.69% in English language arts, 47.12% in math, 41.86% in science) while trailing its own Amherst district in every one, most sharply in science. Results also vary widely by grade. Third grade is a clear bright spot (math 59.57% against a district figure of 42.86%), and sixth grade is above district in both ELA and math, but fifth grade is a deep valley: 32.56% in ELA versus a district figure of 53.33%. Since science is tested only in fifth grade, the fall from roughly 60% in the two prior years to 41.86% is largely one cohort's result rather than a system-wide collapse.

Fort River's long-term story is a climb out of the bottom quintile — 20th percentile in 2015–2016 — to a stable plateau at 51st–62nd percentile. Resources, though, are not translating into relative advantage: at $29,305 per student (2020–2021) it spends the most in the comparison set and posts a 9.2 student-teacher ratio, yet ranks below Crocker Farm Elementary, Wildwood Elementary, Pelham Elementary ($21,032) and Hadley Elementary ($17,223), all of which spend thousands less. The most actionable finding is the persistent gap for low-income students, ranked in the 11th percentile with 1 star for three consecutive years. For context, Fort River still outperforms the region's weakest school, Bridge Street in Northampton (26th percentile), while Shutesbury Elementary shows the area's upper end at the 84th percentile.

371

Students ?

9.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$32,885

Per pupil spending ?

43.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

70 So East Street
Amherst, MA 01002

(413) 362-1200

District: Amherst

Students who attend Fort River Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Amherst Regional Middle School
High:	Amherst Regional High

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.8%

Hispanic:

35.3%

Asian:

10.0%

See top rated Massachusetts elementary schools

Compare Fort River Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 20th percentile in 2016 → 62nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Massachusetts average (47% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 42 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Massachusetts median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg50%

Massachusetts avg41%

346^th of 899

Massachusetts public elementary schools ?

Top 38%▲ up 41 pts since 2016

From bottom 20% (2016) to top 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Massachusetts Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Elementary Schools in the Amherst

119^th of 351Amherst among Massachusetts districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	61.2	346 of 899	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.3	354 of 906	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.5	351 of 916	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.0	428 of 928	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.0	433 of 932	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.8	362 of 936	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.4	458 of 942	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.7	459 of 934	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	40.5	607 of 938	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	24.5	744 of 932	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	47.0	533 of 914	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	64.7	355 of 926	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	52.2	494 of 928	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	52.2	504 of 930	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	54.2	470 of 924	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	60.4	378 of 920	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	73.8	241 of 909	73.5%	★★★★☆
2008	72.7	253 of 908	72.1%	★★★★☆
2007	71.2	268 of 911	70.6%	★★★★☆
2006	76.4	207 of 911	77.3%	★★★★☆
2005	80.7	165 of 887	81.4%	★★★★☆
2004	80.4	164 of 882	81.4%	★★★★☆
2003	75.0	229 of 884	74.1%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2022	33.1	434 of 672	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.5	379 of 665	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.9	536 of 656	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	69.0	263 of 869	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	67.3	289 of 869	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.6	389 of 886	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.9	428 of 887	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.4	465 of 901	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	57.8	385 of 898	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.0	327 of 902	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.7	251 of 893	71.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	50.6	189 of 475	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.9	229 of 458	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.2	300 of 446	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.5	277 of 420	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.2	213 of 401	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.9	300 of 379	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	21.0	660 of 742	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.9	625 of 736	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.6	718 of 760	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.5	677 of 757	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	691 of 772	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.8	535 of 700	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.2	646 of 685	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	51.5	422 of 879	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.8	369 of 884	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.0	309 of 891	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.8	404 of 896	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.1	388 of 908	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.0	346 of 904	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.7	552 of 907	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.6	609 of 898	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	49.8	302 of 709	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.2	292 of 717	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.2	234 of 731	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.6	367 of 703	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.7	760 of 905	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.8	572 of 894	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.8	700 of 896	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.6	801 of 886	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Tested In Person

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2021	63.4	349 of 925	62.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Massachusetts percentile	Rating
2026	73.2	166 of 734	77.4%	★★★★☆
2025	76.5	145 of 737	80.3%	★★★★☆
2024	71.5	195 of 753	74.1%	★★★★☆
2023	63.3	265 of 762	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.7	343 of 764	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.5	297 of 765	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.5	252 of 780	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.3	143 of 772	81.5%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

White (2026)77th percentile+16 vs school

Female (2026)70th percentile+8 vs school

Tested In Person (2021)62nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)60th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)57th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)52nd percentile-10 vs school

Disabled (2022)35th percentile-18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)11th percentile-50 vs school

By subject vs Massachusetts (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts49%+9 vs state

Mathematics47%+6 vs state

Science42%~ state avg

5.0

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Schools Near Fort River Elementary

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts (2026)					MCAS Next Generation Mathematics (2026)					MCAS Next Generation Science (2026)		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 (2015)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 6th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 6th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	Total
Fort River Elementary	Public	K-6	70 So East Street	Amherst	01002	Hampshire County	Amherst	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 362-1200	371	40	9.2	43.7%	155 (41.8%)	26 (7.0%)	131 (35.3%)	37 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.9%)	61.2	346^th of 899 public elementary schools	61.5%		61.3	354^th of 906 public elementary schools	60.9%	8	57.1	43.2	32.6	58.2	48.7	59.6	35.6	38.6	52.7	47.1	41.9	41.9	$32,885
Wildwood Elementary	Public	K-6	71 Strong Street	Amherst	01002	Hampshire County	Amherst	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 362-1400	314	34	9.2	44.7%	136 (43.3%)	37 (11.8%)	58 (18.5%)	55 (17.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (8.0%)	65.2	312^th of 899 public elementary schools	65.3%		65.9	321^st of 906 public elementary schools	64.6%	9	44.2	40.0	67.5	60.0	53.3	32.7	48.2	62.5	47.4	46.5	57.5	57.5	$32,866
Pelham Elementary	Public	K-6	45 Amherst Road	Pelham	01002	Hampshire County	Pelham	No	No	No	No	(413) 362-1100	128	12	10.6	15.8%	81 (63.3%)	7 (5.5%)	17 (13.3%)	5 (3.9%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (10.2%)	78.1	189^th of 899 public elementary schools	79.0%		67.6	306^th of 906 public elementary schools	66.2%	117	75.0	42.9	54.6	46.7	55.1	65.0	52.4	54.6	54.6	56.8	77.3	77.3	$23,039
Crocker Farm Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	280 West Street	Amherst	01002	Hampshire County	Amherst	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 362-1600	353	36	9.7	42.9%	163 (46.2%)	41 (11.6%)	71 (20.1%)	42 (11.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	29 (8.2%)	71.6	249^th of 899 public elementary schools	72.3%		77.5	211^th of 906 public elementary schools	76.7%	38	55.6	56.8	59.2	55.3	56.8	38.9	56.8	55.1	45.7	49.4	51.0	51.0	$28,357
Hadley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	21 River Drive	Hadley	01035	Hampshire County	Hadley	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 584-5011	315	26	11.9	24.0%	234 (74.3%)	8 (2.5%)	41 (13.0%)	19 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.8%)	69.5	272^nd of 899 public elementary schools	69.7%		70.5	279^th of 906 public elementary schools	69.2%	7	40.5	44.4	55.6	58.6	49.3	50.0	44.4	57.8	53.6	51.7	64.4	64.4	$24,286
Hatfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	33 Main Street	Hatfield	01038	Hampshire County	Hatfield	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 247-5010	201	18	10.9	6.1%	180 (89.6%)	3 (1.5%)	4 (2.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.5%)	53.1	421^st of 899 public elementary schools	53.2%		52.3	433^rd of 906 public elementary schools	52.2%	12	50.0	40.0	35.7		41.4	40.9	45.0	32.1		38.6	57.1	57.1	$23,467
Leverett Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	85 Montague Rd	Leverett	01054	Franklin County	Leverett	No	No	No	No	(413) 548-9144	137	16	8.7	24.1%	115 (83.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.6%)	2 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (10.2%)	63.1	332^nd of 899 public elementary schools	63.1%		75.1	228^th of 906 public elementary schools	74.8%	104	61.5	70.0	27.8	77.8	59.4	23.1	70.0	21.1	83.3	51.4	31.6	31.6	$21,946
Shutesbury Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	23 West Pelham Rd	Shutesbury	01072	Franklin County	Shutesbury	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 259-1212	125	18	6.8	27.7%	105 (84.0%)	1 (0.8%)	13 (10.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.8%)	83	145^th of 899 public elementary schools	83.9%		78.6	195^th of 906 public elementary schools	78.5%	50	57.1	66.7	54.6	75.0	64.4	50.0	77.8	27.3	75.0	61.0	90.9	90.9	$26,909
Sunderland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1 Swampfield Drive	Sunderland	01375	Franklin County	Sunderland	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 665-1151	174	24	7.1	32.2%	117 (67.2%)	8 (4.6%)	25 (14.4%)	12 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (6.3%)	42	520^th of 899 public elementary schools	42.2%		57.1	384^th of 906 public elementary schools	57.6%	136	50.0	33.3	23.1	40.9	38.8	30.4	23.8	50.0	30.4	32.1	50.0	50.0	$28,463
Bridge Street	Public	PK, KG-5	2 Parsons Street	Northampton	01060	Hampshire County	Northampton	No	No	No	Yes	(413) 587-1460	281	28	10.1	36.5%	142 (50.5%)	16 (5.7%)	91 (32.4%)	8 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (8.2%)	25.9	668^th of 899 public elementary schools	25.7%		28.4	648^th of 906 public elementary schools	28.5%	20	38.6	28.2	22.9		30.5	22.2	38.5	16.7		25.8	25.0	25.0	$22,858

Frequently Asked Questions about Fort River Elementary

How many students attend Fort River Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 371 students attended Fort River Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Fort River Elementary?

Students at Fort River Elementary are 42% White, 35% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 7% African American, 6% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Fort River Elementary attend?

Students who attend Fort River Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Amherst Regional Middle School
High : Amherst Regional High

Is Fort River Elementary a good school?

Fort River Elementary ranks 346^th of 899 Massachusetts elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Fort River Elementary in?

Amherst

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Latest Massachusetts data All new data »

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesMar 5, 2026

2024–25 MCAS Next Generation test scoresSep 29, 2025

2023–24 school spending dataMay 8, 2025

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesMay 1, 2025

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