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, Virginia - 9 schools
An equity score of 60/100 ranks Amherst County Public Schools #40 of 131 districts in Virginia (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,028 per pupil, Amherst County Public Schools ranks #97 of 131 Virginia districts by per-pupil spending (Virginia districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,987
Total Enrollment
9
Schools
$13,028
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Amherst County Public Schools operates 9 public schools serving 3,987 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Virginia. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 combined, 2 middle, 1 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Amherst County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,028 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 131 Virginia districts by per-pupil spending. See how Virginia compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 25.0% local, 58.7% state, and 16.3% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 60/100, ranked #40 of 131 in Virginia against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 9 schools offering Advanced Placement (13 AP courses district-wide), a 297.1:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 18.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 64.8% White, 18.1% African American, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Madison Heights Elementary, with a diversity index of 65.7/100.
Its largest campus is Amherst County High, enrolling 1,240 students (32% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Temperance Elementary, at 93 students, a 13x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Amherst County High accounts for 31.1% of all Amherst County Public Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Amherst County Public Schools-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 County Public Schools school enrollment varies 13× across entities
Amherst County Public Schools school enrollment ranges from 93 students (lowest) to 1,240 students (highest), a spread of 1,147 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Amherst County Public Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 77.3% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Amherst County Public Schools student-counselor ratio is 297:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Amherst County Public Schools is typically wider than the Amherst County Public Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Amherst County Public Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 18.6% — 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 County Public Schools is typically wider than the Amherst County Public Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to Amherst County Public Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in Virginia
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Amherst County Public Schools?
Amherst County Public Schools has 9 schools, including 1 high, 2 middle, 6 combined. Total enrollment is 3,987 students.
How much does Amherst County Public Schools spend per student?
Amherst County Public Schools spends $13,028 per student. The district has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #40 in Virginia.
What is the demographic composition of Amherst County Public Schools?
Amherst County Public Schools students are 64.8% White, 18.1% African American, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% Asian, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Amherst County Public Schools?
Amherst County Public Schools has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #40 out of 131 districts in Virginia.