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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·AMHERST COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510021000065

Amherst County High

139 Lancer Lane, Amherst, VA 24521 · (434) 946-2898 · Amherst County
GRADES 09–12HIGH42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,240 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 13% of Virginia public high schools
  • DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • C-Beats 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 Virginia public high schools

Enrollment
1,240
High
DISTRICT 433 · STATE 1,213
Student : Teacher
14.4:1
86 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.0:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
80%
994 students
DISTRICT 83% · STATE 66%
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

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 931325%
Grade 1029524%
Grade 1131625%
Grade 1231625%
Student demographics
51%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 55% · STATE 71% · US 70%
White
82466%
DISTRICT 63% · STATE 43% · US 43%
Hispanic
605%
DISTRICT 6% · STATE 20% · US 30%
Black
22918%
DISTRICT 20% · STATE 21% · US 15%
Asian
30%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 8% · US 6%
Two+
1109%
DISTRICT 10% · STATE 7% · US 5%
Native American
121%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 0% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
20%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
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
Male
63051%
Female
61049%

School pathway

Feeds from
Amherst Middle06–08Monelison Middle06–08
Based on grade levels within Amherst County Public Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.

Discussions

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Test scores

SOL 2024-25 . % Passing
English Language Arts
80.0%
VA avg 74.2% . -3.0pp since 2022
Math
64.0%
VA avg 72.7% . -15.0pp since 2022

What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 80 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 64 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Virginia schools, those numbers are about 74 and 73. Reading and writing scores are down about 3 points since 2022, while math scores are down about 15 points.

SOL results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2580.0%64.0%
2023-2484.0%78.0%
2022-2383.0%79.0%
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SOL. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
61.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
66.3%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-4.9pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 61% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 66% typical for Virginia schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Virginia's top nor bottom 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 County High

Amherst County High's state test result (61.4% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Amherst County High this school1,24080.2%61.4%
Brookville High
Lynchburg
1,01771.8%79.0%
Appomattox County High
Appomattox
73176.7%73.9%
Tunstall High
Dry Fork
80085.9%88.1%
Staunton High
Staunton
76685.0%77.9%
Rustburg High
Rustburg
83672.7%81.4%
Matched among Virginia 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 County High ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn Virginia
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
61.4%#273 of 311
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
64.0%#290 of 316
▼ 81
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
80.0%#223 of 316
▼ 66
Enrollment
ranked largest first
1,240#148 of 325
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
14.4:1#174 of 309
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
51.4%#184 of 309
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
80.2%#128 of 319
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+4.8%#86 of 131
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 2024-25
Enrollment
1,240
+45 (+4%) vs 2020
-6% since 1990-91, when it was 1,317
Student : Teacher
14.4:1
was 18.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-251,24086.414.4:180% (994)
2023-241,24383.614.9:177% (957)
2022-231,26088.514.2:175% (942)
2020-211,1956518.4:1N/A
2017-181,18394.212.6:143% (504)
2015-161,3099413.9:141% (538)
2010-111,5039416.0:138% (569)
2000-011,4319614.9:118% (263)
1990-911,3177816.9:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Amherst County High.

Since 2017-18: students up 5% (1,183 to 1,240); teachers down 8% (94.2 to 86.4).

About Amherst County High

Amherst County High is a high school in Amherst, Virginia, according to federal school records. The school's 1,240 students are in grades 9 through 12.

Amherst County High is one school in a 9-school district, Amherst County Public Schools, which enrolls 3,900 students.

White students make up a majority at Amherst County High, at 66%. The remaining shares are 18% Black, 9% multiracial, and 5% Hispanic. Amherst County High's diversity index is 51%, against a US figure of 70%.

Federal data list 86.4 full-time-equivalent teachers at Amherst County High in 2024-25, for a ratio of 14.4:1. That matches the 13.9:1 average for high schools in Virginia fairly closely. The school's rate of free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 80%. That tracks the 82% average for public schools in Amherst County.

The allk12 Grade for Amherst County High is D. Compared with Virginia public high schools, the school scored higher than 13% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.

Test results at Amherst County High are 4.9 points below what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (61.4% actual, 66.3% predicted).

Recent Census Bureau figures for Amherst County show that the median household income is $68,724, 25% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Amherst County High is one of 10 public schools in the county.

The closest other public school is Central Elementary, about 1.2 miles away. Within five miles are 3 other public schools. In a group of 9 nearby schools with scores, Amherst County High ranks 5th on average proficiency.

Amherst County High falls in the Rural: Distant locale category, used for schools in rural territory some distance from an urban area.

Enrollment is up 4% from 2020-21, when Amherst County High had 1,195 students, to 2024-25, when it had 1,240. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio fell from 18.4:1 to 14.4:1.

Posts about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes are welcome on this page. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.

Amherst County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
31,485
Census ACS
Median income
$68,724
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
25%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
10
3,900 students

Quick facts

School name
Amherst County High
District
Amherst County Public Schools
Address
139 Lancer Lane, Amherst, VA 24521
Phone
(434) 946-2898
County
Amherst County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
1,240
Teachers (FTE)
86
Student–teacher ratio
14.4:1
Free and reduced lunch
994 (80%)
Locale
42-Rural: Distant
NCES ID
510021000065
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Amherst County Public Schools
Other schools in Amherst
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Amherst County High
How large is Amherst County High?
Amherst County High enrolls approximately 1,240 students in grades 09-12.
Is Amherst County High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Amherst County High is a high school covering grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Amherst County High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Amherst County High is approximately 14.4:1 (86 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Amherst County High?
At Amherst County High, the student body is approximately 66% White, 5% Hispanic, 18% Black, 0% Asian, 9% Two or more.
What district is Amherst County High in?
Amherst County High is part of Amherst County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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