Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal
records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our
editorial standards & corrections policy, the
methodology behind these numbers, or
report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Amherst, New York - 4 schools
An equity score of 27/100 ranks Amherst Central School District #740 of 941 districts in New York (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $20,441 per pupil, Amherst Central School District ranks #829 of 999 New York districts by per-pupil spending (New York districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,964
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$20,441
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Amherst Central School District operates 4 public schools serving 2,964 students, placing it among the smallest districts in New York. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Erie County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $20,441 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 999 New York districts by per-pupil spending. See how New York compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 49.0% local, 26.9% state, and 24.1% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 27/100, ranked #740 of 941 in New York against a state average of 45, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (12 AP courses district-wide), a 389.9:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 21.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 60.7% White, 14.8% African American, 11.2% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Windermere Blvd School, with a diversity index of 70.8/100.
Its largest campus is Amherst Central High School, enrolling 865 students (29% of the district's total enrollment).
Amherst Central High School accounts for 29.2% of all Amherst Central School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Amherst Central School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Amherst Central School District student-counselor ratio is 390:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Amherst Central School District chronic absenteeism rate is 21.8% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Amherst Central School District is typically wider than the Amherst Central School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to Amherst Central School District's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in New York
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Amherst Central School District?
Amherst Central School District has 4 schools, including 1 high, 2 combined, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 2,964 students.
How much does Amherst Central School District spend per student?
Amherst Central School District spends $20,441 per student. The district has an equity score of 27/100, ranking #740 in New York.
What is the demographic composition of Amherst Central School District?
Amherst Central School District students are 60.7% White, 14.8% African American, 11.2% Asian, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Amherst Central School District?
Amherst Central School District has an equity score of 27/100, ranking #740 out of 941 districts in New York.