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Amherst is a college community with a population of 34,874 located in the Connecticut River Valley--87 miles west of Boston, 23 miles north of Springfield. Amherst is the home of Amherst College, the University of Massachusetts and Hampshire College, with Mount Holyoke College and Smith College nearby.
The mission of Amherst Regional High School is to create a dynamic learning community where students and staff work together and where all students are supported and challenged to achieve their full potential in their intellectual, creative, social and civic endeavors. With parent and community participation, staff and students strive to ensure a safe environment and to promote respect and appreciation for the diversity of individuals, cultures and learning styles.
The Amherst Regional Public School system is a founding member of the Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN), an unprecedented national coalition of multiracial school districts that have come together to study the disparity in achievement between white students and students of color through intensive research. The Network was established to discover, develop, and implement the means to ensure high academic achievement of minority students.
88 credits (grades 9-12) which include:
A fully enrolled student at ARHS takes a minimum of 22 credits each year. This includes study in five major academic subject areas plus physical education, health education, or elective courses.
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 required and elective courses in the core academic areas of mathematics, sciences, social studies, English, and world languages (5 modern and 1 classical), students can choose from nearly one hundred course opportunities in business education, family and consumer science, computer science, art, technology education, and music and the performing arts. All of these course offerings are college preparatory.
Advanced Placement offerings are available in Calculus (AB & BC), Chinese, French, Latin, Spanish, European History, Biology, Physics, Environmental Science, and English Literature and Composition. Advanced Placement credit in English is awarded after the successful completion of two AP English literature electives. (Students who enroll in two literature classes over the course of their junior and senior years and successfully complete the Advanced Placement Project and Portfolio in both will receive an AP credit designation on their transcript.) At ARHS, the junior/senior English elective titled Journalism is not a production class, but rather a writing class dedicated to improving composition skills.
In Mathematics, ARHS students can choose a traditional course sequence which includes Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Pre-Calculus/Trigonometry, or the Interactive Mathematics Program (IMP) sequence. IMP courses are organized around central questions or themes and challenge students to solve a variety of routine and non-routine problems that develop mathematical concepts and habits of mind. Both sequences are offered at the college preparatory and honors levels, and both sequences prepare students for the study of calculus.
Alternative Learning Programs (ALP) permits 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. Credit is 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. Qualified upper-grade students may also enroll in courses at local colleges (typically Amherst College or the University of Massachusetts/Amherst) to pursue advanced studies. Students are expected to request official transcripts from these colleges to be sent to any post secondary schools to which they are applying.
Students at ARHS are able to extend their learning outside of the classroom into the community. The Experiential Education Program, which includes a 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.
Some Amherst Regional High School students attend in-district alternative programs. These programs, South East Campus (SEC), and the Center for Diverse Learners [CDL] are designed for students who benefit from small classes with instruction geared toward individualized learning needs.
Various programs in grades 9-12 permit those students who qualify to:
Seniors can take afternoon college classes. The interface with our trimester schedule is difficult. Amherst College classes are free. Students must apply to individual professors for pre-approval in April of the preceding year. UMass classes can cost more than $1,000 each and are cost prohibitive for many students. At both institutions students are allowed to register at the beginning of each semester if space is available.
Members of the class of 2011 have been subject to mandated directed study requirements during their years at ARHS. In 2007-08, as 9th grade students they were required to register for one directed study among their fifteen course blocks in the trimester system. Many of these students were able to replace the directed study with an elective or Alternative Learning Program. In 2009-10, as juniors, students were required to register for two directed studies among their fifteen course blocks. No student was permitted to enroll in more than thirteen blocks of classes.
Return to TopAll 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 information and ideas. 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 senior year. All graded courses taken at Amherst Regional High School are included in these computations with the following exceptions: 1) P.E., 2) ALPs, and 3) Special Education courses that are not designated for credit towards graduation. Courses transferred from other high schools and 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 |
43% scored 5 28% scored 4 21% scored 3
13 AP Scholars; 8 AP Scholars with Honors; 10 AP Scholars with Distinction
Each year a number of ARHS students receive awards and distinctions in a variety of areas. Examples from the 2009-2010 school year include:
(Includes testing for all students, including English Language Learners and students who have individualized education plans)
| Test | Class of 2011 | Class of 2010 | Class of 2009 | Class of 2008 | Class of 2007 | Class of 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Merit Semifinalists | 1 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| National Merit Commendations | 17 | 20 | 19 | 25 | 25 | 18 |
| Percentage of Class Taking PSAT | 74 | 71 | 71 | 67 | 78 | 81 |
213 students (74% of the class) took the SAT exam. The middle 50% critical reading score was 510-670 (mean score 594). The middle 50% mathematics score was 510-680 (mean score 598). The middle 50% writing score was 490-660 (mean score 586).
Based on Personal Contacts by the Guidance Department (As of October 1, 2010)
| 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | |
| Number of Graduates | 285 | 286 | 285 | 323 | 290 | 322 | 310 | 299 | 345 | 281 | 291 | 297 | 243 |
| Four-Year Colleges | 71% | 76% | 72% | 73% | 76% | 73% | 76% | 74% | 77% | 74% | 74% | 74% | 72% |
| Two-Year Colleges/Post Secondary Schools | 18% | 16% | 18% | 18% | 16% | 19% | 17% | 19% | 15% | 19% | 17% | 16% | 21% |
| Military | 1% | .5% | -0- | 0.5% | -0- | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1% | -0- | -0- | -0- | -0- | -0- |
| Travel | -0- | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 0.5% | 1% | -0- | -0- | 1% | -0- | 1% | -0- | -0- |
| Employed | 10% | 6% | 8% | 7% | 7% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 7% | 6% | 9% | 7% |
| Other | -0- | -0- | .5% | -0- | 0.5% | 0.5% | 5% | -0- | 1% | -0- | 2% | 1% | -0- |
| School | Number of ARHS Students |
|---|---|
| Alfred University | 1 |
| American International College | 1 |
| American Int?l Univ. in London | 1 |
| American University | 1 |
| Amherst College | 3 |
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| Bard College | 2 |
| Barnard College | 1 |
| Bates College | 3 |
| Beloit College | 1 |
| Bennington College | 1 |
| Bentley University | 2 |
| Berea College | 1 |
| Boston University | 2 |
| Brandeis University | 1 |
| Brown University | 3 |
| Bryn Mawr | 1 |
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| Carleton College | 3 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 1 |
| Castleton State College | 1 |
| Clark University | 4 |
| Clarkson University | 1 |
| Colby College | 2 |
| Colgate University | 2 |
| Colorado College | 1 |
| Columbia College | 1 |
| Columbia University | 2 |
| Connecticut College | 2 |
| Cornell University | 1 |
| Culinary Institute of America | 1 |
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| Dartmouth College | 4 |
| Dean College | 1 |
| Dickinson College | 1 |
| Drew University | 1 |
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| Earlham College | 5 |
| Eastern University | 1 |
| Eckerd College | 1 |
| Elms College | 1 |
| Emmanuel College | 2 |
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| Flagler College | 1 |
| Franklin Pierce University | 1 |
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| George Washington University | 1 |
| Goucher College | 1 |
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| Hamilton College | 1 |
| Hampshire College | 2 |
| Haverford College | 1 |
| Hofstra University | 1 |
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| Ithaca College | 3 |
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| Juniata College | 1 |
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| Keene State College | 1 |
| Kenyon College | 1 |
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| Lafayette College | 1 |
| Lesley University | 2 |
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| Macalester College | 4 |
| Maryland Institute College of Art | 2 |
| Mass. College of Liberal Arts | 1 |
| Mass. College of Art and Design | 1 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1 |
| McDaniel College | 1 |
| Middlebury College | 3 |
| Mount Holyoke College | 1 |
| Mount Ida College | 1 |
| Muhlenberg College | 1 |
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| Naropa University | 1 |
| Northeastern University | 1 |
| Norwich University | 2 |
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| Oberlin College | 2 |
| Occidental College | 1 |
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| Pace University | 2 |
| Parson’s School of Design, New School Univ. | 1 |
| Pitzer College | 2 |
| Pomona College | 1 |
| Providence College | 1 |
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| Queen’s University | 1 |
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| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 1 |
| Rhode Island School of Design | 1 |
| Rutgers, The State Univ. of NJ at Brunswick | 1 |
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| Sacred Heart University | 1 |
| Salem State College | 1 |
| Sarah Lawrence College | 1 |
| Simmons College | 2 |
| Skidmore College | 2 |
| Smith College | 6 |
| Springfield Technical Community College | 3 |
| Southern New Hampshire University | 1 |
| SUNY at New Paltz | 1 |
| SUNY College of Cobleskill | 1 |
| Syracuse University | 3 |
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| Trinity College | 1 |
| Tufts University | 2 |
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| U. of Central Florida | 1 |
| U. of Colorado Boulder | 1 |
| U. of Connecticut | 1 |
| U. of Hartford | 1 |
| U. of Massachusetts – Amherst | 28 |
| U. of Massachusetts – Dartmouth | 2 |
| U. of New England | 1 |
| U. of New Haven | 1 |
| U. of Pennsylvania | 3 |
| U. of Richmond | 1 |
| U. of Rochester | 1 |
| U. of Southern California | 2 |
| U. of Vermont | 2 |
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| Vanderbilt University | 1 |
| Vassar College | 3 |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute | 1 |
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| Wellesley College | 1 |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology | 1 |
| Wesleyan University | 4 |
| Westfield State College | 1 |
| Wheaton College | 3 |
| Wheelock College | 1 |
| Williams College | 1 |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 1 |
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| Yale University | 1 |
Other Postsecondary SchoolsReturn to top |
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| Greenfield Community College | 25 |
| Holyoke Community College | 16 |
| Hudson Valley Community College | 1 |
| New Hampton School | 1 |
| Philips Andover Academy | 1 |
| Quinsigamond Community College | 3 |
| Springfield Technical Community College | 5 |
| Wilbraham & Monson Academy | 2 |
| The Woolman Semester | 1 |
11% enrolled at University of Massachusetts/Amherst.
55% enrolled at other New England colleges and schools
34% enrolled at schools/colleges outside New England.
Of those attending four-year institutions:
23% enrolled at public four-year colleges and universities.
77% enrolled at private four-year colleges and universities.