Shay Elementary

Shay Elementary is a primary school of moderately sized scale in Amesbury, Massachusetts, part of Amesbury, instructing 485 students in grades pre-K through 2. Compared to the state average of about 381 students per school, that is 27% larger than typical.

Amesbury comprises 5 schools with combined enrollment of 1,793 students; Shay Elementary is among them.

In terms of who attends, Shay Elementary reports that 80% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. Beyond that, the school lists 13% Hispanic, 3% Black, 3% multiracial. That is meaningfully more White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 68%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school lists 41 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 12.0:1. That tracks the state average closely.

In the broader community, community-level numbers for Essex County indicate median household earnings sit near $101,883, about 43% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Shay Elementary is one of 221 public schools in Essex County (combined enrollment of about 113,427 students).

Nearest neighbor: Charles C Cashman Elementary, around 0.1 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Shay Elementary.

The school occupies an outer-ring site.

Over the past 7-year window. Shay Elementary's enrollment has expanded 23% since 2018, when it stood at 395 (now 485). Hispanic enrollment moved from 7% to 13% across the same window. Class-load math has tightened: from 13.9:1 in 2018 to 12.0:1 in 2025.

On allk12, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.