Summary:
ZIP code 24521 contains exactly one middle school, Amherst Middle, serving grades 6 through 8 in Amherst County Public Schools, a largely rural area where the school supports a student body of 371 with high economic need.
Because there is only one middle school in this ZIP code, all comparisons are made against the district and state rather than nearby schools. Amherst Middle has genuine strengths in advanced coursework: it achieved 100% proficiency in Algebra I and Geometry on the 2025–26 SOL tests, and its 8th grade math proficiency (73.24%) far exceeded the state average (46.86%). Science and geography in 8th grade also outpace both the district and state by roughly 15 points. The school’s chronic absenteeism rate of 14.0% matches the state average and is notably better than the district’s 19.0%, despite over 82% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. With a student-teacher ratio of 12.9:1, class sizes are relatively small, and per-student spending is $11,028.
However, not every subject is as strong. Civics proficiency for 7th graders fell to 59.48%, far below the state’s 70.10% and down over 21 points from the prior year. Seventh grade math also dropped to 50.67%, while 6th grade reading (66.97%) lags about 6 points behind the state. Reading in grades 7 and 8 is essentially at or slightly below state averages. These declines, especially in civics and 7th grade math, help explain why Amherst Middle slipped from a 3-star rating in 2024–25 to a 2-star rating in 2025–26, even though the school’s overall average proficiency across all subjects remains slightly above both the district and the state. For parents, the big picture is a school with excellent advanced math and science offerings, solid 8th grade performance, and a positive attendance culture, but one where 6th and 7th grade core subjects, especially civics and 7th grade math, need focused attention.
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