Schools and Community

With approximately 38,000 residents, Amherst is the largest community in Hampshire County and is the epitome of the town and country experience.

UMass Amherst Spotlight Scholar Andrea Nahmod

Public and Private Schools

UMass Amherst sits inside Hampshire County which has over 60 primary and secondary schools. The county is divided into 21 different public school districts and 13 private schools to meet the needs of the community.

Amherst Pelham Regional School District - The Amherst Regional Public Schools (ARPS) are located in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. Three elementary schools are located in Amherst and one in the town of Pelham. The middle school and high school are located in the town of Amherst and enroll students from the Hampshire County towns of Amherst and Pelham and the Franklin County towns of Leverett and Shutesbury.
Northampton Public Schools - The Northampton Public Schools are located in the the city of Northampton in the western section of Hampshire County in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. It is comprised of four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school.

View GreatSchools for listings and comparisons of the many public and private schools in the area.

Community

About Amherst

With approximately 38,000 residents, Amherst is the largest community in Hampshire County. The epitome of the town and country experience, Amherst has a pleasant downtown supplemented by four village centers and dozens of cultural attractions, including eight museums, an independent art house cinema, and venues for performing arts and music. The town has permanently conserved nearly a third of its land and is home to fifty working farms. It is an ethnically diverse community with strong schools, an excellent bus system, and near major cities.

About the Pioneer Valley

The Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, which includes Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties, is a diverse patchwork of urban centers, unspoiled forest, farmland, and great natural beauty. With its college towns of Amherst, Northampton, and South Hadley; emerging arts communities of Greenfield and Easthampton; resurgent cities of Holyoke and Springfield, the Valley is a region of great potential in which UMass Amherst plays a vital role as a leader in what is also known as the Knowledge Corridor.

Resources