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Amherst Elementary

Q: Is Amherst Elementary a good school?

Amherst Elementary ranks 471 st of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

471^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 58% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Amherst Elementary is a PK–5 school in Amherst, Virginia, serving 307 students as part of Amherst County Public Schools. The school currently ranks 471st out of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools — in the 58th percentile with a 3-star rating — well above its district's 29th-percentile ranking. About 83% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, and the school spends $11,022 per student with a 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio.

The school's standout strength is early-grade reading. Third-grade reading proficiency is 80.85% and 4th-grade reading is 88.89% — both the highest among nearby schools, beating Elon Elementary, Temperance Elementary, Tye River Elementary, and Paul Munro Elementary. These scores are well above the Virginia state averages. Fourth-grade math (77.78%) and 5th-grade science (77.27%) are also strong, while the school shows notably high effectiveness for African American students, ranking in the 89th percentile statewide for that subgroup.

The main challenge is a 5th-grade drop-off. Reading falls from 88.89% in 4th grade to 70.45% in 5th grade, and math proficiency is 65.91% versus the state's 72.39% — a gap that has persisted for three consecutive years. Chronic absenteeism, meanwhile, is a positive: at 14.2%, it is below the Amherst County Public Schools rate of 19.0% and just under the state's 14.8%. The rate has improved dramatically from 30.9% in 2020-21 to 9.3% in 2023-24. If Amherst Elementary can address the 5th-grade slide, it has the potential to move from the upper-middle tier into the top tier of Virginia elementary schools.

307

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,022

Per pupil spending ?

83.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

156 Davis St
Amherst, VA 24521

(434) 946-9704

District: Amherst County Public Schools

Students who attend Amherst Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Amherst Middle
High:	Amherst County High

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.9%

African American:

15.0%

Two or more races:

11.4%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Amherst Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 24th percentile in 2018 → 58th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 58th (2026) from a 24th-percentile low (2018)

✓Above the Virginia median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school76%

District avg66%

Virginia avg72%

471^st of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 42%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 36% (2016) to top 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6Elementary Schools in the Amherst County Public Schools

93^rd of 131Amherst County Public Schools among Virginia 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	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	60.4	471 of 1111	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.7	557 of 1110	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.8	540 of 1114	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.8	523 of 1114	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.7	322 of 1109	71.0%	★★★★☆
2021	63.3	420 of 1103	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.1	379 of 1105	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.3	833 of 1097	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	55.7	537 of 1099	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	64.0	400 of 1096	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	70.7	289 of 1100	73.7%	★★★★☆
2014	66.0	348 of 1110	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	54.6	533 of 1120	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	44.8	705 of 1117	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	38.9	817 of 1117	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	56.2	528 of 1113	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	57.6	470 of 1082	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	56.9	494 of 1081	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	35.4	829 of 1083	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	44.6	701 of 1071	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	35.3	805 of 1062	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	82.5	65 of 591	89.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	50.6	599 of 1100	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.0	701 of 1096	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.9	555 of 1098	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.3	528 of 1100	52.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	49.5	551 of 1040	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	69.5	258 of 1046	75.3%	★★★★☆
2024	66.2	321 of 1036	69.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	392 of 1099	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.8	424 of 1093	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.1	551 of 1101	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.4	523 of 1093	52.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	45.6	602 of 974	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.2	692 of 973	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.5	649 of 979	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.5	656 of 984	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)89th percentile+31 vs school

Male (2026)64th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)47th percentile-11 vs school

Female (2026)46th percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)38th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

English Reading80%+9 vs state

Science77%+9 vs state

Mathematics73%~ state avg

VA Studies69%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Amherst 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)				SOL Mathematics (2026)			SOL Science (2026)	SOL English Reading (2026)			SOL VA Studies (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	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	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%)	60.4	471^st of 1111 public elementary schools	57.6%		53.7	557^th of 1110 public elementary schools	49.8%	86	74.5	77.8	65.9	77.3	80.9	88.9	70.5	68.9	$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%)	26.6	880^th of 1111 public elementary schools	20.8%		11.4	1014^th of 1110 public elementary schools	8.6%	134	77.8	52.2	70.3	64.9	63.9	56.5	56.8	32.6	$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%)	62.9	437^th of 1111 public elementary schools	60.7%		73.1	308^th of 1110 public elementary schools	72.3%	129	100.0	55.0	94.7	73.7	76.9	75.0	94.7	65.0	$12,287	$595	$11,692
Amelon Elementary	Public	K-5	132 Amer Court	Madison Heights	24572	Amherst County	Amherst County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 528-6498	415	32	12.9	83.6%	243 (58.6%)	106 (25.5%)	21 (5.1%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (9.2%)	31.4	827^th of 1111 public elementary schools	25.6%		16	969^th of 1110 public elementary schools	12.7%	142	66.7	62.3	52.9	61.8	75.0	70.1	61.8	50.7	$10,619	$1,067	$9,552
Elon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	147 Younger Dr	Madison Heights	24572	Amherst County	Amherst County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 528-6496	288	22	13.0	83.0%	215 (74.7%)	35 (12.2%)	8 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	23 (8.0%)	66.3	396^th of 1111 public elementary schools	64.4%		57	516^th of 1110 public elementary schools	53.5%	120	80.9	81.6	82.8	72.4	76.6	81.6	75.9	71.4	$10,060	$878	$9,182
Tye River Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5198 Thomas Nelson Hwy	Arrington	22922	Nelson County	Nelson County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 263-8960	360	29	12.6	85.3%	245 (68.1%)	58 (16.1%)	43 (11.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.3%)	59.4	487^th of 1111 public elementary schools	56.2%		54.1	554^th of 1110 public elementary schools	50.1%	67	74.6	68.6	87.2	78.7	67.3	78.4	78.7	70.6	$13,996	$1,844	$12,152
Madison Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	287 Learning Lane	Madison Heights	24572	Amherst County	Amherst County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 846-2151	449	32	14.0	84.0%	218 (48.6%)	127 (28.3%)	47 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (12.5%)	18.7	957^th of 1111 public elementary schools	13.9%		24.1	886^th of 1110 public elementary schools	20.2%	71	58.1	58.8	49.2	57.1	54.8	66.7	57.1	52.9	$9,665	$1,688	$7,978
Paul Munro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4641 Locksview Rd	Lynchburg	24503	Lynchburg city	Lynchburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 515-5260	356	26	13.6	97.2%	173 (48.6%)	113 (31.7%)	34 (9.6%)	7 (2.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.9%)	57.5	513^th of 1111 public elementary schools	53.8%		73.7	300^th of 1110 public elementary schools	73.0%	213	81.6	76.0	72.0	62.0	71.4	82.0	70.0	78.7	$8,460	$1,798	$6,661
Dearington Elementary/Innovation	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	210 Smyth St	Lynchburg	24501	Lynchburg city	Lynchburg City Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(434) 515-5220	180	19	9.4	98.3%	29 (16.1%)	117 (65.0%)	11 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (11.7%)	2.7	1093^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	1.6%		24.3	884^th of 1110 public elementary schools	20.4%	209	45.5	37.8	35.6	42.2	36.4	32.4	40.0	44.4	$15,178	$2,100	$13,078
Bedford Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4330 Morningside Dr	Lynchburg	24503	Lynchburg city	Lynchburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(434) 515-5210	402	31	12.9	98.0%	195 (48.5%)	124 (30.8%)	42 (10.4%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (9.5%)	43.5	696^th of 1111 public elementary schools	37.4%		36.6	750^th of 1110 public elementary schools	32.4%	54	78.7	75.0	50.0	69.2	68.0	63.3	68.8	67.8	$10,827	$1,504	$9,323

Frequently Asked Questions about Amherst Elementary

What district is Amherst Elementary in?

Amherst County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Amherst Elementary?

Students at Amherst Elementary are 63% White, 15% African American, 11% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic.

Is Amherst Elementary a good school?

Amherst Elementary ranks 471^st of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Amherst Elementary attend?

Students who attend Amherst Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Amherst Middle
High : Amherst County High

How many students attend Amherst Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 307 students attended Amherst Elementary.

Rate Amherst Elementary!

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Schools in Amherst, VA

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2025–26 SOL test scoresNewAug 25, 2026

2021–22 school spending dataFeb 16, 2026

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataFeb 10, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 6, 2026

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.