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Best kept secret at AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
865
High
DISTRICT 739 · STATE 668
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·AMHERST CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 360292000061
AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
4301 MAIN ST, AMHERST, NY 14226 · (716) 362-8100 · Erie County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL865 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 95% of New York public high schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded New York public high schools
Student : Teacher
10.8:1
80 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.2:1 · STATE 11.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
33%
287 students
DISTRICT 33% · STATE 58%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 206 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 211 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 214 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 232 | 27% |
| Ungraded | 2 | 0% |
Student demographics
56%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 59% · STATE 72% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within AMHERST CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NYS Assessments 2024-25 . % Proficient (Level 3 + Level 4)English Language Arts
88.0%
NY avg 58.3% . -5.0pp since 2023
Math
88.0%
NY avg 57.4% . -5.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the NYS Assessments, New York's statewide test, about 88 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 88 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all New York schools, those numbers are about 58 and 57. Reading and writing scores are down about 5 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 5 points.
NYS Assessments results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 88.0% | 88.0% |
| 2023-24 | 93.0% | 93.0% |
% Proficient (Level 3 + Level 4), all students and all tested grades.
Source: NYS Assessments. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of NY schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
89.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
62.8%
based on NY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+26.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 89% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 63% typical for New York schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 27 points, placing it in New York's top 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL's state test result (89.3% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL this school | 865 | 33.2% | 89.3% |
| JAMESVILLE-DEWITT HIGH SCHOOL DEWITT | 820 | 27.6% | 89.5% |
| VESTAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL VESTAL | 1,015 | 30.8% | 86.5% |
| WILLIAMSVILLE SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL WILLIAMSVILLE | 796 | 27.5% | 88.5% |
| BRIGHTON HIGH SCHOOL ROCHESTER | 1,164 | 24.3% | 90.5% |
| WILLIAMSVILLE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL WILLIAMSVILLE | 1,307 | 27.8% | 90.0% |
Matched among New York high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In New York | In Erie County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 89.3% | #68 of 1,135 | #6 of 51 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 88.0% | #59 of 1,109 ▲ 5 | #2 of 51 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 88.0% | #239 of 1,135 ▼ 64 | #15 of 51 ▼ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 865 | #291 of 1,216 | #17 of 56 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.8:1 | #474 of 1,058 | #29 of 50 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 56.2% | #344 of 1,070 | #23 of 50 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 33.2% | #955 of 1,167 | #39 of 53 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +4.0% | #236 of 339 | #6 of 11 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
865
-17 (-2%) vs 2020
+4% since 1990-91, when it was 833
Student : Teacher
10.8:1
was 11.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 865 | 80.3 | 10.8:1 | 33% (287) |
| 2023-24 | 886 | 80.9 | 11.0:1 | 30% (267) |
| 2022-23 | 870 | 81.7 | 10.7:1 | 38% (331) |
| 2020-21 | 882 | 74 | 11.9:1 | 29% (258) |
| 2017-18 | 832 | 72.5 | 11.5:1 | 26% (218) |
| 2015-16 | 828 | 67 | 12.4:1 | 27% (226) |
| 2010-11 | 864 | 78 | 11.1:1 | 22% (193) |
| 2000-01 | 956 | 75 | 12.8:1 | 8% (74) |
| 1990-91 | 833 | 61 | 13.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL.
About AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL is a mid-sized high school located in AMHERST, New York. Its grade span covers grades 9 through 12, with 865 students on the rolls. High schools in New York average about 668 students, which makes this school 29% larger than average.
AMHERST CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT counts 4 schools and 2,957 students, including AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL.
Federal enrollment data show AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL is 63% White. The next largest groups are 14% Black, 12% Asian, 6% Hispanic, and 4% multiracial. The school's White share is 10 points below the 74% share among Erie County residents. A diversity index of 56% means there is a 56% chance two randomly chosen students at AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL are from different groups.
AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL has a student-to-teacher ratio of 10.8:1, with 80.3 full-time-equivalent teachers. The ratio is within a point of the 11.0:1 average for high schools in New York. A common income measure, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, is 33% at AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL. By comparison, the figure for public schools in Erie County is 51%.
On the allk12 Grade, AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL lands at A+, ahead of 95% of New York public high schools.
In New York, AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL is one of the top 10% of schools on BeatsExpectations, with an average proficiency rate across its state test results of 89.3% compared with a predicted 62.8%.
American Community Survey estimates for Erie County show that the median household earns about $72,839 a year, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 38%, and about 9% of people live in poverty. Erie County has 226 public schools with about 122,519 students, including AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL.
Straight-line distance to the nearest public school, AMHERST MIDDLE SCHOOL, is about 0.5 miles. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. On average proficiency, AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL is 1st of 9 nearby schools with test data.
Under the NCES locale system, AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL is Suburb: Large.
Enrollment at AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL was 882 in 2020-21 and 865 in 2024-25, a change of less than 3%. Students per teacher dropped from 11.9 in 2020-21 to 10.8 in 2024-25.
On allk12, people connected to AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL can post about pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Erie County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
950,622
Census ACS
Median income
$72,839
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
38%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
226
122,519 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in AMHERST CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
- WINDERMERE BLVD SCHOOLElementary · 738 students
- SMALLWOOD DRIVE SCHOOLElementary · 708 students
- AMHERST MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 646 students
Other schools in AMHERST
- SWEET HOME SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,105 students
- SWEET HOME MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 858 students
- WINDERMERE BLVD SCHOOLElementary · 738 students
- SMALLWOOD DRIVE SCHOOLElementary · 708 students
- AMHERST MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 646 students
- MAPLEMERE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 488 students
Nearby schools
- AMHERST MIDDLE SCHOOL0.5 mi · 646
- SMALLWOOD DRIVE SCHOOL0.9 mi · 708
- HIGHGATE HEIGHTS1.2 mi · 407
- WINDERMERE BLVD SCHOOL1.4 mi · 738
- CLEVELAND HILL HIGH SCHOOL1.5 mi · 398
- CLEVELAND HILL MIDDLE SCHOOL1.5 mi · 305
Frequently asked questions
About AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOLHow many students attend AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL?
AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL enrolls approximately 865 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL serve?
AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL?
Approximately 10.8:1 students per teacher at AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL.
How diverse is AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL?
AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL reports a student body of 63% White, 6% Hispanic, 14% Black, 12% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL public or private?
AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL is a public K-12 school, overseen by AMHERST CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.