Public schools in Amherst, NY
Amherst has 9 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 2 high, 2 middle, 5 elementary, enrolling 6,287 students. They are run by 2 districts and agencies; Sweet Home Central School District runs 5 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 2 districts and agencies that run Amherst's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Amherst | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Home Central School District | 5 | 3,563 | $25,197 |
| Amherst Schools | 4 | 2,964 | $21,084 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
2 high schools in Amherst, 1,970 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Home Senior High School | 1,105 | 12.1 | 46.8% | Sweet Home Central |
| Amherst Central High School | 865 | 10.8 | 31.8% | Amherst Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
2 middle schools in Amherst, 1,504 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Home Middle School | 858 | 11.4 | 39.0% | Sweet Home Central |
| Amherst Middle School | 646 | 8.9 | 33.1% | Amherst Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
5 elementary schools in Amherst, 2,813 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windermere Blvd School | 738 | 11.4 | 42.7% | Amherst Schools |
| Smallwood Drive School | 708 | 13.7 | 15.3% | Amherst Schools |
| Maplemere Elementary School | 488 | 12.0 | 40.2% | Sweet Home Central |
| Heritage Heights Elementary School | 452 | 13.1 | 31.9% | Sweet Home Central |
| Willow Ridge Elementary School | 427 | 12.0 | 29.5% | Sweet Home Central |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Amherst's public schools compare with New York's
The median Amherst school has 12.0 students per full-time teacher, more than the New York median of 11.1. 0% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 53% across the state. Its median school enrolls 708 students (state 428).
| Amherst | New York | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 12.0 | 11.1 |
| Median school size (students) | 708 | 428 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 0% | 53% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 100% | 85% |
| Charter schools | 0% | 7.1% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 9 Amherst schools and the 4,767 New York schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Amherst
- Sweet Home Central School DistrictRuns 5 of Amherst's 9 public schools and spent $25,197 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$25,197
- Sweet Home Senior High School, the largest high school in Amherst1,105 students in 2024-25, 12.1 per teacher.1,105
- Compare Sweet Home Central School District with Amherst SchoolsAmherst's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in New YorkNew York's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for an Amherst addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in New York
Questions about schools in Amherst
How many public schools are in Amherst, NY?
9 public schools with an address in Amherst were open in 2024-25: 2 high, 2 middle, 5 elementary, enrolling 6,287 students.What is the largest high school in Amherst?
Sweet Home Senior High School, with 1,105 students in 2024-25 (Sweet Home Central School District).Which districts run Amherst's schools?
Sweet Home Central School District (5 schools), Amherst Schools (4 schools). A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25