Schools in Zip Code 24521

Zip code 24521 in Amherst, VA is home to 5 public schools within Amherst County Public Schools—three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school—serving 2,279 students in a community where economic disadvantage is widespread, with all schools reporting free/reduced lunch eligibility above 80%. The district overall ranks in the 29th percentile of Virginia school districts, but school-level performance varies dramatically, from Temperance Elementary in the 61st percentile down to Amherst County High in the 8th percentile.

Temperance Elementary is the clear standout, combining the highest ranking (61st percentile, 3 stars) with remarkably low chronic absenteeism of 5.3% and strong test scores, including 100% proficiency in 3rd grade math and 94.7% in 5th grade reading. At the other end, Central Elementary ranks in the 21st percentile (1 star) with reading proficiency in the 50s and 4th grade VA Studies at just 32.6%, despite having the lowest student-teacher ratio in the district at 10.7. Amherst Middle sits in the middle with a 48th-percentile ranking, posting perfect 100% proficiency in Algebra I and Geometry for accelerated students while on-grade-level 7th grade math proficiency is just 50.7%. Amherst County High is the weakest secondary school, ranking in the 8th percentile with 10th grade Geometry proficiency at only 5.7% and chronic absenteeism at 28.0%—more than five times the rate at Temperance.

Despite these challenges, the high school graduates 92.1% of its students, nearly matching the state's 92.3%, with a dropout rate of 3.9% that is better than the state average of 5.0%. Attendance appears to be a critical differentiator: elementary schools hold chronic absenteeism between 13.9% and 14.2%, but the rate more than doubles by high school. Spending per student ranges from $10,243 at the high school to $12,287 at Temperance, yet higher spending at Central ($11,986) has not produced stronger results. The overall picture shows a stable or improving elementary landscape, particularly at Amherst Elementary (58th percentile), but troubling declines at the secondary level and at Temperance, which fell from the 72nd to 61st percentile. For parents, Temperance demonstrates that strong outcomes are possible in this community, while the district's priority must be addressing attendance and proficiency gaps at Amherst County High.