Best Public Schools in Amherst, NY

Summary:

The city of Amherst, New York is home to 9 schools across two school districts - the Sweet Home Central School District and the Amherst Central School District. The schools include 5 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 2 high schools, serving students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Among the standout schools in Amherst, Amherst Central High School is the highest performing, ranking 78th out of 1,234 high schools in New York state and earning a 5-star rating. It boasts very strong test scores, with over 90% proficiency in many subject areas. Another top performer is Smallwood Drive School, an elementary school in the Amherst Central School District that ranks 394th out of 2,445 elementary schools in the state and has high proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math. In contrast, Sweet Home Middle School is the lowest performing school in the data set, ranking 1,099th out of 1,500 middle schools in the state and earning a 1-star rating.

The analysis reveals that school performance does not always correlate with spending, as the highest spending school, Sweet Home Middle School, is one of the lowest performing, while the lowest spending school, Smallwood Drive School, is a top performer. Additionally, student demographics, as measured by free/reduced lunch rates, do not appear to be the sole driver of school performance, as high-poverty schools like Smallwood Drive School and Maplemere Elementary School are still able to achieve strong results.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Regents Chemistry (2025)	Regents Common Core Algebra II (2025)	Regents Common Core English Language Arts (2025)	Regents Common Core Geometry (2025)	Regents Earth Science (2025)	Regents Global History and Geography (2025)	Regents Living Environment (2025)	Regents Physics (2025)	Regents U.S. History and Government (2025)	Regents Algebra I (2025)	Regents Geometry (2025)	NY State Assessments English Language Arts (2025)						NY State Assessments Math (2025)						NY State Assessments Science (2025)		% Completely Immunized (2020)	% Polio (2020)	% Measles (2020)	% Mumps (2020)	% Rubella (2020)	% Diphtheria (2020)	% Hepatitis B (2020)	% Varicella (2020)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	Regents Chemistry End of Course	Regents Common Core Algebra II End of Course	Regents Common Core English Language Arts End of Course	Regents Common Core Geometry End of Course	Regents Earth Science End of Course	Regents Global History and Geography End of Course	Regents Living Environment End of Course	Regents Physics End of Course	Regents U.S. History and Government End of Course	Regents Algebra I End of Course	Regents Geometry End of Course	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 4th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 3rd Grade	NY State Assessments Math 4th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 5th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 6th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 7th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 8th Grade	NY State Assessments Science 5th Grade	NY State Assessments Science 8th Grade	% Completely Immunized All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Diphtheria All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Amherst Central High School	Public	9-12	4301 Main St	Amherst	14226	Erie County	Amherst Central School District	No	No	No	No	(716) 362-8100	865	80	10.7	33.2%	546 (63.1%)	119 (13.8%)	50 (5.8%)	108 (12.5%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (4.4%)	83.4	78^th of 1234 public high schools	93.7%		83.4	64^th of 1242 public high schools	94.8%	14	89.1	95.9	88.5		96.3	90.5	84.9	85.3	92.9	88.4	95.1															99.1	99.7	99.9	99.9	99.9	99.7	99.8	99.7	$24,607	$642	$23,965
Windermere Blvd School	Public	PK, KG-5	291 Windermere Blvd	Amherst	14226	Erie County	Amherst Central School District	No	No	No	Yes	(716) 362-4100	738	65	11.3	44.7%	327 (44.3%)	179 (24.3%)	62 (8.4%)	116 (15.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (7.3%)	53.6	1104^th of 2445 public elementary schools	54.8%		49.5	1186^th of 2445 public elementary schools	51.5%	82												55.4	58.0	55.5				66.4	57.0	52.5				49.1		99.4	99.6	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.6	99.7	99.7	$21,897	$1,832	$20,065
Amherst Middle School	Public	6-8	55 Kings Hwy	Amherst	14226	Erie County	Amherst Central School District	No	No	No	No	(716) 362-7100	646	73	8.8	35.8%	385 (59.6%)	101 (15.6%)	38 (5.9%)	76 (11.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (6.8%)	77.4	287^th of 1500 public middle schools	80.9%		84.5	184^th of 1504 public middle schools	87.8%	103					100.0					100.0					58.6	62.6	65.0				65.3	72.0	77.6		67.0	99.7	99.7	100.0	100.0	100.0	99.7	99.9	100.0	$25,462	$1,229	$24,233
Smallwood Drive School	Public	PK, KG-5	300 Smallwood Dr	Amherst	14226	Erie County	Amherst Central School District	No	No	No	No	(716) 362-2100	708	52	13.6	16.7%	535 (75.6%)	40 (5.6%)	46 (6.5%)	34 (4.8%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (7.1%)	80.9	394^th of 2445 public elementary schools	83.9%		88.2	246^th of 2445 public elementary schools	89.9%	148												78.1	65.9	78.5				79.4	64.4	73.8				71.2		100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	$20,005	$897	$19,107
Heritage Heights Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2545 Sweet Home Rd	Amherst	14228	Erie County	Sweet Home Central School District	No	No	No	Yes	(716) 250-1525	452	35	13.1	33.4%	211 (46.7%)	84 (18.6%)	58 (12.8%)	72 (15.9%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.1%)	35.2	1614^th of 2445 public elementary schools	34.0%		42.8	1362^nd of 2445 public elementary schools	44.3%	252												45.6	58.0	43.2				46.4	66.0	35.6				34.7		99.4	100.0	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.7	99.4	$22,105	$881	$21,224
Maplemere Elementary School	Public	K-5	236 E Maplemere Rd	Amherst	14221	Erie County	Sweet Home Central School District	No	No	No	Yes	(716) 250-1550	488	41	12.0	44.9%	276 (56.6%)	53 (10.9%)	29 (5.9%)	108 (22.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.5%)	59.4	948^th of 2445 public elementary schools	61.2%		65.3	775^th of 2445 public elementary schools	68.3%	173												48.4	73.9	64.6				50.0	68.1	63.9				55.6		98.6	99.8	99.5	99.5	99.5	98.8	99.1	99.5	$23,971	$621	$23,350
Sweet Home Middle School	Public	6-8	4150 Maple Rd	Amherst	14226	Erie County	Sweet Home Central School District	No	No	No	Yes	(716) 250-1450	858	75	11.4	41.1%	471 (54.9%)	167 (19.5%)	67 (7.8%)	102 (11.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (5.7%)	31	1099^th of 1500 public middle schools	26.7%		38.4	948^th of 1504 public middle schools	37.0%	151							98.9			92.1					40.6	41.9	34.2				40.6	53.5	16.3		27.3	98.7	99.7	99.9	99.9	99.9	99.9	99.9	99.6	$26,283	$837	$25,447
Sweet Home Senior High School	Public	9-12	1901 Sweet Home Rd	Amherst	14228	Erie County	Sweet Home Central School District	No	No	No	No	(716) 250-1203	1,105	92	12.0	48.3%	581 (52.6%)	263 (23.8%)	81 (7.3%)	128 (11.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	51 (4.6%)	58	539^th of 1234 public high schools	56.3%		57.4	559^th of 1242 public high schools	55.0%	20	68.6	92.1	80.1	38.9	76.1	86.9	49.5	57.5	82.7	48.9	54.8															99.6	99.7	99.9	99.9	99.9	99.9	99.8	99.8	$26,076	$845	$25,231
Willow Ridge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	480 Willow Ridge Dr	Amherst	14228	Erie County	Sweet Home Central School District	No	No	No	Yes	(716) 250-1575	427	36	12.0	31.1%	208 (48.7%)	88 (20.6%)	42 (9.8%)	51 (11.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (8.9%)	36.8	1560^th of 2445 public elementary schools	36.2%		37.6	1520^th of 2445 public elementary schools	37.8%	40												38.9	36.4	58.3				38.2	37.9	62.0				60.4		98.6	99.2	99.7	99.7	99.7	98.9	99.2	98.6	$23,295	$1,299	$21,995

Cities Near Amherst

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Williamsville	0.9 mi	11	86^th
East Amherst	1 mi	4	46^th
Tonawanda	3.81 mi	6	528^th
North Tonawanda	5.23 mi	7	466^th
Buffalo	5.31 mi	89	729^th

See the top NY New York cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the WNYC and the New York State Department of Health and the NY State Education Department.

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.