Amherst is a college community with a population of 34,874 located in the Connecticut RiverValley, 92 miles west of Boston, 27 miles north of Springfield. It is the home of Amherst College, University of Massachusetts and Hampshire College, with Mount Holyoke College and Smith College nearby.
Amherst Regional High School is a four-year comprehensive regional school serving the towns of Amherst, Pelham, Leverett, and Shutesbury. ARHS is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Enrollment is 1,239 with a Senior class of 311. The student body is culturally diverse with a population that includes 69% Caucasian, 9% African-American, 9% Asian, and 9% Hispanic, and includes native speakers of 23 languages. The student-faculty ratio is 13 to 1. Masters or doctoral degrees are held by 85% of the faculty.
88 credits (grades 9-12) which include:
A student at ARHS who is fully enrolled is required to take a minimum of 22 credits each year. This includes study in five major subject areas plus physical education, or the equivalent. (Students in the class of 2008 need three years of physical education.) In 2006-07 and 2007-08, all ARHS students have been required to schedule one directed study.
ARHS operates on a trimester system. A typical student schedule includes three core subjects for two trimesters and four core subjects for one trimester plus one or two electives each trimester. In addition to a variety of elective and required courses in the core academic areas of mathematics, sciences, social studies, English, and languages (5 modern and 1 classical), students can choose from nearly one hundred course opportunities in business, family and consumer science, computer science, art, technology education, music and performing arts. All of these course offerings are college preparatory.
Advanced Placement offerings are available in Calculus (AB & BC), Latin, Spanish, French, European History, Biology, Physics, Environmental Science, English Literature and Composition. AP credit in English is awarded after the successful completion of two AP English literature electives. (Students enrolled in two courses designated for AP credit must successfully meet a strict set of requirements, including an AP portfolio project.) All students completing the English AP curriculum have English AP Portfolio designated on their transcript. Qualified students may also enroll in courses at local colleges to pursue advanced study.
Some AmherstRegionalHigh School students attend district alternative programs. These programs, which include South Amherst Campus (SAC) and East Street Alternative High School (ESAH), are held in off-campus facilities and are designed for students who benefit from small classes geared toward individual needs.
Alternative Learning Programs (ALPs) permit students to propose independent studies or alternative projects to meet individual course and department goals. This work is conducted under the supervision of a faculty advisor and may involve academic activities, volunteer experience, local college courses, vocational exploration or work experience either on or off campus. Credits are given for these experiences. In addition, a special program has been created in collaboration with Greenfield Community College (GCC). Via the Educational Transitions Program (ETP) a student may be enrolled full-time at GCC and may use those credits to fulfill ARHS graduation requirements.
Students at ARHS are able to extend their learning outside of the classroom into the community. The new Senior Year Options program, including a weekly seminar, supports students in internships, community service activities or teaching assistantships. A Work Study Program is also available to students. Credit is given for these experiences.
Various programs in grades 9-12 permit those who qualify to:
All academic courses at Amherst Regional High School are college preparatory. Courses designated as Honors are characterized by an accelerated pace, an intensive examination of content, or both. Honors courses demand substantial independent work, extensive use of supplementary materials, and sophisticated analysis and synthesis of ideas and information. Courses designated as Advanced Placement are courses that are similar to Honors courses in level of challenge and expectations but that follow the college-level AP curricula established by the College Board.
An unweighted grade point average is computed for all Amherst Regional High School students. A student’s GPA is calculated at the end of the junior year and at the end of the first trimester senior year. All graded courses taken at Amherst Regional High School are included in these computations with the following exceptions: 1) P.E., 2) certain ALPs, and 3) Special Education courses that are not designated for credit towards graduation. Courses taken outside of ARHS (including college or university courses) are not included in a student’s GPA.
When reporting to colleges, the High School reports a student’s individual unweighted GPA. Amherst Regional High School does not provide individual or decile rankings.
The courses that are included in a grade point average are based on a 4.0 scale.
| A | A- | B+ | B | B- | C+ | C | C- | D+ | D | D- | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
Advanced Placement Information
44% scored 5 22% scored 4 23% scored 3
14 AP Scholars; 9 AP Scholars with Honors; 4 AP Scholars with Distinction
Other Awards/Distinctions
Each year a number of ARHS students receive awards and distinctions in a variety of areas. Examples from the 2006-2007 school year include:
(Includes testing for all students, including English Language Learners and students who have individualized education plans)
| Test | Class of 2008 | Class of 2007 | Class of 2006 | Class of 2005 | Class of 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Merit Semifinalists | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| National Merit Commendations | 25 | 25 | 18 | 22 | 30 |
| Percentage of Class Taking PSAT | 67 | 78 | 81 | 79 | 78 |
272 students (88% of the class) took the SAT exam. The middle 50% critical reading score was 480-660(mean score 571). The middle 50% mathematics score was 500-670(mean score 581).The middle 50% writing score was 480-650(mean score 566).
Based on Personal Contacts by the Guidance Department (As of October 1, 2007)
| 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | |
| Number of Graduates | 323 | 290 | 322 | 310 | 299 | 345 | 281 | 291 | 297 | 243 | 249 |
| Four-Year Colleges | 73% | 76% | 73% | 76% | 74% | 77% | 74% | 74% | 74% | 72% | 78% |
| Two-Year Colleges/Post Secondary Schools | 18% | 16% | 19% | 17% | 19% | 15% | 19% | 17% | 16% | 21% | 11% |
| Military | 0.5% | -0- | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1% | -0- | -0- | -0- | -0- | -0- | -0- |
| Travel | 1.5% | 0.5% | 1% | -0- | -0- | 1% | -0- | 1% | -0- | -0- | 0.5% |
| Employed | 7% | 7% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 7% | 6% | 9% | 7% | 9% |
| Other | 0% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 5% | -0- | 1% | -0- | 2% | 1% | -0- | 1% |
| Alfred University | 1 | Lehigh University | 1 | Tulane University | 1 | ||
| Allegheny College | 1 | Louisiana Tech University | 1 | U. of British Columbia | 1 | ||
| Antioch College | 1 | Macalester College | 2 | U. of Chicago | 1 | ||
| Arizona State University | 1 | Manhattanville College | 2 | U. of Cincinnati Consevatory of Music | 1 | ||
| Assumption College | 1 | Marist College | 1 | U. of Connecticut | 1 | ||
| Barnard College | 1 | Marlboro College | 1 | U. of Delaware | 2 | ||
| Beloit College | 1 | Marquette University | 1 | U. of Massachusetts - Amherst | 43 | ||
| Boston College | 1 | Massachusetts College of Art | 1 | U. of Massachusetts - Boston | 1 | ||
| Boston University | 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1 | U. of Massachusetts - Dartmouth | 1 | ||
| Bowdoin College | 1 | McGill University | 1 | U. of Missouri | 1 | ||
| Bowling Green University | 1 | Middlebury College | 2 | U. of New Hampshire | 1 | ||
| Brandeis University | 2 | Minneapolis College of Art & Design | 1 | U. of New Haven | 1 | ||
| Brown University | 3 | Mount Holyoke College | 6 | U. of Notre Dame | 1 | ||
| Bryn Mawr College | 1 | New England Conservatory | 1 | U. of Oregon | 1 | ||
| Carleton College | 3 | New York University | 3 | U. of Redlans | 1 | ||
| Clark University | 3 | North Carolina State University | 1 | U. of Rhode Island | 1 | ||
| Clemson University | 1 | Northeastern University | 2 | U. of Rochester | 1 | ||
| Colby College | 1 | Ohio State University | 1 | U. of Vermont | 8 | ||
| College of Wooster | 2 | Pace University | 1 | U. of Wiscosin | 2 | ||
| Colorado College | 1 | Penn State University | 1 | Union College | 1 | ||
| Columbia University | 2 | Pitzer College | 1 | Unity College | 1 | ||
| Concordia University Montreal | 1 | Pomona College | 2 | Vassar College | 6 | ||
| Cornell University | 1 | Princeton University | 1 | Villanova University | 1 | ||
| Dartmouth College | 2 | Providence College | 1 | Warren Wilson College | 1 | ||
| Drew University | 2 | Purdue University | 1 | Washington University - St. Louis | 1 | ||
| Eastern University | 1 | Queens University Canada | 1 | Wesleyan University | 3 | ||
| Eckerd College | 1 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 2 | Western New England College | 3 | ||
| Emerson College | 1 | Rider University | 1 | Western State College of Colorado | 1 | ||
| Eugene Lang College | 1 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 1 | Westfield State College | 2 | ||
| Framingham State College | 1 | Roger Williams University | 2 | Wheaton College | 4 | ||
| George Washington University | 2 | Salem State College | 1 | Wheelock College | 1 | ||
| Georgia Institute of Tecnology | 1 | Sarah Lawrence College | 3 | Whitman College | 1 | ||
| Gettysburg College | 1 | Seton Hall University | 1 | Williams College | 1 | ||
| Goucher College | 1 | Simmons College | 1 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 1 | ||
| Hampshire College | 2 | Smith College | 1 | Xavier University - Louisiana | 1 | ||
| High Point University | 1 | Springfield College | 2 | Yale University | 1 | ||
| Hobart and William Smith College | 1 | St. Olaf Collage | 1 | York College | 1 | ||
| Hofstra University | 1 | Stanford University | 1 | ||||
| Indiana U. Jacobs School of Music | 1 | Suffolk University | 2 | OTHER POST SECONDARY SCHOOLS | |||
| Ithaca College | 4 | SUNY - Binghamton | 1 | Greenfield Community College | 23 | ||
| Johnson & Wales University-RI | 1 | SUNY - Geneseo | 1 | Holyoke Community College | 28 | ||
| Johnson & Wales University-FL | 2 | SUNY - New Paltz | 1 | Kingsborough Community College | 1 | ||
| Keene State College -NH | 1 | Syracuse University | 2 | Universal Technical Institute | 1 | ||
| Kenyon College | 2 | Trinity College - Hartford | 1 | Springfield Technical Community College | 2 | ||
| Lawrence University | 1 | Tufts University | 2 | Wilbraham & Monson Academy | 2 | ||
| 15% enrolled at University of Massachusetts/Amherst. | Of those attending four-year institutions: |
| 47% enrolled at other New England colleges and schools. | 39% enrolled at public four-year colleges and universities. |
| 38% enrolled at schools/colleges outside New England. | 61% enrolled at private four-year colleges and universities. |