Amherst Central High School

The high school served 802 students from grades nine through twelve for the 2012-13 academic year. The school's Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) is a joint organization with the Amherst Middle School. The 15-square-mile (38.8 km²) Amherst School District has a population of 27,578 as of October 2012. The high school serves the school district which encompasses the neighborhoods of Eggertsville and Snyder, as well as small portions of the village of Williamsville and the town of Cheektowaga.[4]

In 1998 the high school was judged one of the 100 best in the country by Newsweek magazine, with students taking the highest number of Advanced Placement examinations in Western New York.[5]

Amherst is known for the high quality of their music program. Instrumental music comprises an Orchestra Department (String Instruments) and a Band Department (Wind and Percussion Instruments). The Band Department consists of Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Ensemble, as well as smaller sectional ensembles. The Orchestra Department consists of Symphony Orchestra, Concert Orchestra, Operetta Pit Orchestra, Sinfonia, and smaller chamber ensembles. The Choral Department (Vocal Music) includes Concert Choir, Concert Chorale, Sweet Sixteens, and Varsity Singers.

Music directors

Drama Club

The Drama Club's past shows include A Christmas Carol, It's a Wonderful Life and The Diary of Anne Frank. In the spring of 2008, students directed short one-act comedies. These have since been made a seasonal tradition.

Operetta

Amherst also has a prominent operetta program, and has been producing operettas annually since about 1932. The operetta for 2019-2020 was Titanic.

(List is Partial)

The Amherst High School hockey team

Amherst supports many sports and is a Section B school. The school has a turf athletic stadium, the Dimp Wagner Athletic Field, which serves as the home playing surface for the Amherst Tigers football, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's lacrosse, women's field hockey, and many JV and modified teams. The stadium also plays host to many local high school play-off and championship games in various sporting events.

Amherst had a championship men's hockey team (ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation in 2009) and women's lacrosse teams, producing multiple Division I athletes every year. The men's hockey team won the section six championship on February 28, 2010. This team made league history by winning the championship as the last place seed coming in. It also boasts championship tennis, field hockey, and basketball programs. Their field hockey team has had much success in the past ten years. The team won the Far West Regional Championship game in Medina, NY against Pittsford-Sutherland High School with a score of 2-1 and advanced onto the State Championship for Class B in Vestal, New York on November 20, 2009. Amherst's field hockey program has continued its success with Section 6 Championship wins in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017.

Established in 1983, the foundation funds experiences for students emphasizing projects that extend their horizons or involve helping others. The foundation also funds mini-grants for teachers for special projects or equipment not otherwise funded by the school district.[6]

• Michael Angelakos, musician, lead singer and keyboardist for the band Passion Pit
• Amanda Blake, actress best known for the role of the red-haired saloon proprietress Miss Kitty Russell on the CBS television series Gunsmoke (1955–1975)
• Jack Davis, industrialist
• Jeffrey Gundlach, investor and philanthropist
• Tom Hambridge, musician, three-time Grammy winner
• Jonah Heim, catcher for the Oakland Athletics
• Marc Evan Jackson, actor and comedian best known for his work in the Thrilling Adventure Hour
• Jeremy Jacobs, owner of the Boston Bruins and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Delaware North Companies; Forbes magazine ranked him #746 of the world's billionaires
• Andy Kulberg, musician, bass and flute for The Blues Project
• Nancy Marchand, actress most famous for her portrayal of Margaret Pynchon in Lou Grant and, in later life, Livia Soprano on The Sopranos
• Norman McCombs, recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation
• Mark Rubin, safety for the St. Louis Rams and former safety and wide receiver at Penn State
• Peter Scamurra, professional ice hockey player who was drafted 19th overall in the 1975 NHL Draft by the Washington Capitals
• John Schuck, actor, primarily in stage, movies and television
• James Whitmore, film actor
• Brian Herzog, Certified Beautician