Can I use Amherst County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Amherst County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Amherst County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Amherst County?

Start with the 10 listed public schools and 2 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Amherst County Schools & Education

Name: Amherst County, Virginia Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Amherst County, Virginia

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

62/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

93.0%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

93.0%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 89.0%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,378

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,941

School Score

62/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 54/100

State Score Position

#34

of 127 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Amherst County

Measured School Summary

Amherst County performs at an average level with a school score of 62/100 and a solid graduation rate of 93.0%.

Funding Context

At $7,378 per pupil, Amherst County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 16% above the Virginia average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 4.0 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 7% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Amherst County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

10 public schools and 2 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

62/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #34 of 127 Virginia counties with school score data.

Completion

93.0%

4.0 pts above the state average

Funding context

$7,378

$563 below the state average

School coverage

2 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Amherst County has 10 public schools across 2 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Amherst County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Dominant-district county

Amherst County Public Schools carries most of the listed public-school system, with 9 of 10 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.

State position

#34

of 127 Virginia counties with school score data. The county score is 8 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 90% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

Amherst County Public Schools

Elementary to high school visible

3,987 students

Elementary 6Middle 2High 1Other 0

9 listed schools in this county slice.

Central Virginia Training Center

Other grade structure

0 students

Elementary 0Middle 0High 0Other 1

1 listed school in this county slice.

District reality check

Amherst County Public Schools is the largest listed district slice, with 9 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Amherst County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Amherst County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Which schools are missing enrollment or ratio fields, and does the district publish a newer local profile than the NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data?

Data Story

Amherst County Graduation Rate Exceeds State and National Averages

Education data brief for Amherst County, Virginia.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:Graduation rate

Amherst County reports a graduation rate of 93.0%, surpassing the Virginia state average of 89.0% and the national benchmark of 87.0%. The county's composite school score is 62.4, which is higher than the state average of 54.1 and the national median of 50.0. The public education system serves 3,987 students across 10 schools, with a mix of seven rural and three suburban locales. Amherst County Public Schools is the largest district, with Amherst County High School enrolling 1,260 students, nearly a third of the total student body. Per-pupil expenditure is $7,378, trailing the state average of $7,941 and significantly lower than the national average of $13,000. Average school size in the county is 443 students. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

in Amherst County

Reported Enrollment

3,987

9 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary6

Middle2

High1

Other1

2 School Districts in Amherst County

Amherst County Public Schools

Central Virginia Training Center

1 school

0 students

10 Public Schools in Amherst County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 1 high-enrollment school; every NCES public school remains listed here.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 10 of 10 matching schools

Public schools in Amherst County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
AMHERST COUNTY HIGH	Profile	Amherst County Public Schools	Amherst, 24521Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	1,260
MONELISON MIDDLE	Record	Amherst County Public Schools	Madison Heights, 24572Suburb: Midsize	6–8	Middle	513
Amelon Elementary	Record	Amherst County Public Schools	Madison Heights, 24572Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	438
Madison Heights Elementary	Record	Amherst County Public Schools	Madison Heights, 24572Suburb: Midsize	PK–5	Primary	418
AMHERST MIDDLE	Record	Amherst County Public Schools	Amherst, 24521Rural: Fringe	6–8	Middle	347
Elon Elementary	Record	Amherst County Public Schools	Madison Heights, 24572Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	341
Central Elementary	Record	Amherst County Public Schools	Amherst, 24521Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	318
Amherst Elementary	Record	Amherst County Public Schools	Amherst, 24521Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	260
Temperance Elementary	Record	Amherst County Public Schools	Amherst, 24521Rural: Distant	PK–5	Primary	92
CENTRAL VA. TRAINING CTR.	Record	Central Virginia Training Center	Lynchburg, 24505Suburb: Midsize	PK–12	Special Education	—

AMHERST COUNTY HIGH

Amherst County Public Schools

Amherst, 24521 / Rural: Fringe

Profile9–12High1,260 students

MONELISON MIDDLE

Amherst County Public Schools

Madison Heights, 24572 / Suburb: Midsize

Record6–8Middle513 students

Amelon Elementary

Amherst County Public Schools

Madison Heights, 24572 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary438 students

Madison Heights Elementary

Amherst County Public Schools

Madison Heights, 24572 / Suburb: Midsize

RecordPK–5Primary418 students

AMHERST MIDDLE

Amherst County Public Schools

Amherst, 24521 / Rural: Fringe

Record6–8Middle347 students

Elon Elementary

Amherst County Public Schools

Madison Heights, 24572 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary341 students

Central Elementary

Amherst County Public Schools

Amherst, 24521 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary318 students

Amherst Elementary

Amherst County Public Schools

Amherst, 24521 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary260 students

Temperance Elementary

Amherst County Public Schools

Amherst, 24521 / Rural: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary92 students

CENTRAL VA. TRAINING CTR.

Central Virginia Training Center

Lynchburg, 24505 / Suburb: Midsize

RecordPK–12Special EducationEnrollment not available

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,378

State avg $7,941

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Amherst County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Virginia counties have the highest graduation rates?

Alleghany County (97.0%), Clarke County (97.0%), and Falls Church city (97.0%) currently lead Virginia among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Virginia?

Across Virginia counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $7,941. The highest current county values are Surry County ($12,490), Highland County ($12,429), and Arlington County ($11,425). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Amherst County?

Amherst County has a school score of 62/100, which is a midrange measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Amherst County?

The high school graduation rate in Amherst County is 93.0%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Amherst County spend per student?

Amherst County spends $7,378 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Roanoke County

Virginia

0 pts

62/100

School score

Madison County

Virginia

-1 pts

62/100

School score

Brunswick County

Virginia

-1 pts

61/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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