The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in Science. The lowest is 55% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Crocker Farm Elementary
Crocker Farm Elementary is one of three elementary schools in the Amherst public school system, serving students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The school sits in a town shaped by the presence of three colleges—UMass Amherst, Amherst College, and Hampshire College—whose campuses, student populations, and cultural offerings define daily life. Amherst Center is a walkable downtown with restaurants, bookstores, and civic institutions like the Jones Library, while the surrounding town blends suburban and rural areas. The school’s enrollment is moderate for an elementary school, and its student body reflects the diversity of the community: a substantial share of students are white, and the remainder includes Hispanic, Asian, Black, and multiracial students. No data on the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, or on the number of students with disabilities or English learners, was available in the source materials; a parent may want to ask the school directly about these support structures.
On the Massachusetts state assessments, Crocker Farm’s overall proficiency across tested subjects places it in the top quartile of districts in Hampshire County, a solid position. In English language arts, just over half of students in grades three through eight scored at the proficient or advanced level, and in math the rate was similar. Science proficiency, tested only in one grade at the elementary level, was notably higher. Multi-year trend data show steady improvement in both math and English over the past several years, with math climbing from a lower base in the late 2010s to a level close to the current English results. This upward trajectory is a strength, suggesting that recent instructional shifts may be taking hold. The school’s participation rates on the assessments were high.
The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it does not have a Title I designation in the available data. No information about discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, or staffing ratios was provided, so those are gaps a family would need to explore through a school visit or by contacting the district.
At the district level, two recent changes are relevant to families considering Crocker Farm. In 2024, Amherst voters approved a debt exclusion to fund construction of a new consolidated elementary school, which will replace the aging Fort River and Wildwood buildings. That project is expected to break ground in the near future, with a target opening in the coming years. Crocker Farm itself is not being replaced, so it will continue to operate as one of the district’s elementary schools. Additionally, the school committee adopted a new evidence-based literacy curriculum aligned with the science of reading in 2023, and that curriculum is now in use across all three elementary schools, including Crocker Farm.
The housing market in Amherst reflects the desirability of a college town with a strong cultural and educational base. Home values are above the national median, and rents are also elevated, consistent with the area’s character. The local unemployment rate is moderate, and the median household income is higher than the national figure. The town’s growth has slowed in recent decades, and the civic climate includes active engagement on issues such as housing and reparations.
For a family, Crocker Farm offers a midsize elementary school in a community deeply influenced by higher education, with academic performance that has improved over time and now sits above the county median. The school’s diversity and the district’s recent curriculum and facility investments are points to weigh. The absence of certain data points—discipline, demographics of special populations, and staffing—means a parent should request those details directly. The school fits well for families who value a college-town environment, a solid academic trajectory, and a district that is actively modernizing its literacy instruction and physical plant.
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