Amherst Middle School, Amherst NH

Original Research by School Decision on Amherst Middle School

Amherst Middle School serves grades five through eight in the town of Amherst, New Hampshire, as part of the Amherst School District under SAU 39. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it feeds into Souhegan Cooperative High School, which Amherst shares with Mont Vernon for grades nine through twelve. The school sits in a suburban-rural community that blends a preserved historic village center with a commercial corridor along Route 101-A. Single-family homes dominate the housing stock, and the town is car-dependent with no public transit, though it sits within a short drive of both Manchester and Nashua.

State assessment results from the most recent school year paint a generally strong academic picture, with one clear pattern worth a parent's attention. In both math and English language arts, proficiency rates are solid across grades five through seven, with the middle grades performing particularly well. Grade six stands out as the strongest year, with a large share of students reaching proficiency in both subjects. The pattern shifts in grade eight, where proficiency drops noticeably in math and to a lesser degree in ELA. This is a consistent enough dip across both core subjects that a parent may want to look into what changes instructionally or developmentally at that transition point. Science results, tested only in grades five and eight, are the weakest area for the school. Roughly half of fifth graders reach proficiency, and fewer than half of eighth graders do. Participation rates are high across every grade and subject, so the results reflect nearly the full student body.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. That metric applies to Souhegan Cooperative High School rather than here. Multi-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say whether the grade-eight dip is a one-year occurrence or a recurring pattern. The state did not flag any assessment name changes or cut-score changes that would complicate year-to-year comparison, but the underlying trend series was empty.

The student body is small for a four-grade middle school. Economic disadvantage is rare here. Only a tiny fraction of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school far below what most public schools in the state serve. The enrollment is overwhelmingly white, with small numbers of Asian, Hispanic, multiracial, and Black students. Data on special education enrollment and English learners was not reported, so there is no way to characterize those populations from the available information. A parent whose child receives special education services or English language support would want to ask the school directly about what is available.

The surrounding housing market is expensive. Home values in the school's zip code sit well above the state benchmark and roughly double the national figure. The broader Hillsborough County market shows strong demand and tight supply, with homes moving quickly. Mortgage costs are steep relative to typical incomes, and rents also take a sizable share of household earnings. This is a community where housing access and affordability are real factors for families considering a move into the district.

Beyond the test scores and demographics, the available data thins out quickly. There is no information on discipline, course access, staffing ratios, attendance, or extracurricular and program offerings. Civil rights data was not provided. The district brief turned up no parent-relevant policy changes, curriculum shifts, or budget developments in recent years. This means a parent looking for a fuller picture of school climate, teacher experience, or specialized programs will need to go directly to the school and district for those details.

What the data does show is a school in an affluent, growing community with strong academic results through the early middle grades, a dip in grade eight that deserves inquiry, and limited science performance. The peer environment is relatively homogeneous in both economic and racial terms. For families already in or drawn to Amherst, the school appears to provide a solid academic foundation through seventh grade, with questions worth raising about the eighth-grade transition and science instruction before students move on to high school.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 69%

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 679%

School 79% · District 79%

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

Grade 772%

School 72% · District 72%

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 66%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 677%

School 77% · District 77%

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 773%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Science

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 45%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

This schoolAmherst School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income69%36 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income58%Higher-income80%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income69%Higher-income73%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income46%Higher-income60%14 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income71%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income63%Higher-income81%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income62%Higher-income73%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income31%Higher-income52%21 pp gap