Is Willow Ridge Elementary School a good school?

Willow Ridge Elementary School ranks 1520 th of 2445 New York elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Willow Ridge Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 394 students attended Willow Ridge Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Willow Ridge Elementary School?

Students at Willow Ridge Elementary School are 53% White, 16% African American, 10% Asian, 10% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Willow Ridge Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Willow Ridge Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Sweet Home Middle School High : Sweet Home Senior High School

Willow Ridge Elementary School

Summary:

Willow Ridge Elementary School is a public elementary school in Amherst, New York, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 358 students. The school is part of the Sweet Home Central School District, which is ranked 538 out of 865 school districts in New York and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Willow Ridge Elementary School has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the years, dropping from a high of 612 out of 2,352 New York elementary schools in 2014-2015 to 1,520 out of 2,445 in 2023-2024. The school's SchoolDigger rating has also decreased from 4 stars out of 5 in 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 to 2 stars out of 5 in the current school year. While female students have generally performed better than male students, the school has struggled the most with its special education and low socioeconomic status student populations, ranking in the bottom 10% of New York elementary schools for these subgroups.

Willow Ridge Elementary School's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math on the New York State Assessments are generally lower than the district and state averages, particularly in 3rd and 5th grades. However, the school's 4th-grade ELA and Math proficiency rates are closer to or above the district and state averages, suggesting potential strengths in the upper elementary grades. Interestingly, Maplemere Elementary School, another Sweet Home Central School District school, consistently outperforms Willow Ridge Elementary School on state assessments and has a higher statewide ranking.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

480 Willow Ridge Dr
Amherst, NY 14228-3057

(716) 250-1575

District: Sweet Home Central School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1520^th of 2,445 New York Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,657

Students who attend Willow Ridge Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Sweet Home Middle School
High:	Sweet Home Senior High School

Student/teacher ratio: 10.9

Number of students: 394

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.0%

African American:

16.2%

Asian:

10.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 33%

See top rated New York elementary schools

Compare Willow Ridge Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Willow Ridge Elementary School ranks worse than 62.2% of elementary schools in New York. It also ranks last among 4 ranked elementary schools in the Sweet Home Central School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 37.56. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Willow Ridge Elementary School has the smallest elementary school student body size in the Sweet Home Central School District. Racial makeup is: White (53%), African American (16.2%), Asian (10.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 33% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Willow Ridge Elementary School is 10.9, which is the lowest among 4 elementary schools in the Sweet Home Central School District! (See more...)

Compare Willow Ridge Elementary School employs 36 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Willow Ridge Elementary School is $18,657, which is the highest among 4 elementary schools in the Sweet Home Central School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Willow Ridge Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Willow Ridge Elementary School 1520^th of 2445 New York public elementary schools. (See Willow Ridge Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

White students:

Sweet Home Central School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Sweet Home Central School District 538^th of 865 New York school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Willow Ridge Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Willow Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2006	83.23	204^th	2206	90.8%
2007	79.95	327^th	2219	85.3%
2008	73.07	613^th	2227	72.5%
2009	77.59	385^th	2257	82.9%
2010	76.62	469^th	2263	79.3%
2011	65.99	815^th	2286	64.3%
2012	76.36	496^th	2320	78.6%
2013	82.25	331^st	2325	85.8%
2014	70.39	623^rd	2345	73.4%
2015	71.92	612^th	2352	74.0%
2016	62.25	844^th	2366	64.3%
2017	58.59	956^th	2386	59.9%
2018	57.65	1004^th	2395	58.1%
2019	55.11	1030^th	2413	57.3%
2021	48.12	1119^th	2201	49.2%
2022	42.08	1394^th	2434	42.7%
2023	56.23	1010^th	2439	58.6%
2024	37.56	1520^th	2445	37.8%

See the entire list of New York Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Willow Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	20.08	1864^th	2016	7.5%
2024	17.14	2049^th	2110	2.9%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Willow Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	40.41	1208^th	2045	40.9%
2019	37.86	1256^th	2032	38.2%
2021	41.32	1000^th	1678	40.4%
2022	44.83	1069^th	2099	49.1%
2023	40.91	1149^th	2041	43.7%
2024	14.64	1951^st	2078	6.1%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Willow Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	52.74	1134^th	2338	51.5%
2019	52.42	1089^th	2357	53.8%
2021	44.87	1092^nd	1955	44.1%
2022	59.52	911^th	2401	62.1%
2023	71.25	614^th	2403	74.4%
2024	40.87	1417^th	2413	41.3%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Willow Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	61.66	853^rd	2340	63.5%
2019	55.51	992^nd	2358	57.9%
2021	47.39	1033^rd	1961	47.3%
2022	25.70	1890^th	2400	21.3%
2023	36.44	1536^th	2400	36.0%
2024	36.27	1550^th	2411	35.7%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Willow Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2021	2.92	420^th	430	2.3%
2022	30.98	515^th	671	23.2%
2023	41.00	408^th	605	32.6%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Willow Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	26.41	749^th	948	21.0%
2019	40.50	500^th	891	43.9%
2021	49.72	187^th	427	56.2%
2022	32.74	643^rd	936	31.3%
2023	49.70	388^th	857	54.7%
2024	37.79	563^rd	927	39.3%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for White students at Willow Ridge Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	58.86	576^th	1408	59.1%
2019	53.42	621^st	1338	53.6%
2021	45.75	709^th	1224	42.1%
2022	32.45	1003^rd	1399	28.3%
2023	46.80	742^nd	1337	44.5%
2024	34.92	950^th	1392	31.8%

See the entire list of Best New York Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: NY State Education Department, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: NY State Education Department

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Willow Ridge Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1989	454	17	20	8	0	n/a	n/a	499
1990	460	18	21	7	0	n/a	n/a	506
1991	481	20	21	4	0	n/a	n/a	526
1992	460	32	25	3	0	n/a	n/a	520
1993	482	29	36	7	0	n/a	n/a	554
1994	470	29	24	5	0	n/a	n/a	528
1995	465	32	27	10	3	n/a	n/a	537
1996	465	32	27	10	3	n/a	n/a	537
1997	445	27	27	8	0	n/a	n/a	507
1998	425	29	37	8	0	n/a	n/a	499
1999	419	37	30	11	0	n/a	n/a	497
2000	404	41	22	8	0	n/a	n/a	475
2001	392	42	13	13	1	n/a	n/a	461
2002	375	58	28	10	0	n/a	n/a	471
2003	375	58	28	10	0	n/a	n/a	471
2004	355	52	24	6	1	n/a	n/a	438
2005	321	44	24	2	0	n/a	n/a	391
2006	301	45	20	2	0	n/a	n/a	368
2007	284	51	17	5	0	n/a	n/a	357
2008	250	54	13	4	2	n/a	n/a	323
2009	261	63	12	6	0	n/a	n/a	342
2010	234	60	11	8	0	n/a	n/a	313
2011	242	61	10	11	1	0	0	325
2012	242	65	16	18	1	2	0	344
2013	228	57	13	11	1	1	4	315
2014	235	61	15	13	1	0	5	330
2015	223	54	12	9	2	0	6	306
2016	241	51	11	15	0	0	5	323
2017	226	55	9	26	0	1	11	328
2018	221	57	9	17	1	0	23	328
2019	210	67	10	13	1	0	20	321
2020	218	64	37	7	2	0	30	358
2021	217	65	41	14	2	0	28	367
2022	215	70	40	13	2	0	28	368
2023	212	60	44	10	1	0	31	358
2024	209	64	40	40	1	0	40	394

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Willow Ridge Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	499	33.9	14.7	n/a
1990	506	31.9	15.8	n/a
1991	526	32.9	15.9	n/a
1992	520	33.4	15.5	n/a
1993	554	31.2	17.8	n/a
1994	528	31.2	16.9	9.5
1995	537	32.1	16.7	10.4
1996	537	32.1	16.7	10.4
1997	507	32.2	15.7	12.2
1998	499	32.0	15.6	11.8
1999	497	33.2	15.0	11.9
2000	475	33.2	14.3	21.1
2001	461	34.0	13.6	18.2
2002	471	34.2	13.8	21.2
2003	471	34.2	13.8	21.2
2004	438	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	391	31.6	12.4	23.5
2006	368	30.0	12.3	24.5
2007	357	26.3	13.6	26.1
2008	323	25.2	12.8	25.7
2009	342	25.6	13.4	24.3
2010	313	27.2	11.5	29.4
2011	325	28.0	11.5	29.2
2012	344	25.0	13.7	27.6
2013	315	27.0	11.6	33.3
2014	330	27.0	12.2	29.4
2015	306	25.0	12.2	30.4
2016	323	22.0	14.6	33.1
2017	328	22.0	14.8	41.2
2018	328	24.0	13.6	43.3
2019	321	25.0	12.8	39.9
2020	358	23.0	15.5	43.6
2021	367	34.6	10.5	37.6
2022	368	29.0	12.6	37.5
2023	358	36.0	9.9	38
2024	394	36.0	10.9	33

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Willow Ridge Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	499	33.9	14.7	n/a
1990	506	31.9	15.8	n/a
1991	526	32.9	15.9	n/a
1992	520	33.4	15.5	n/a
1993	554	31.2	17.8	n/a
1994	528	31.2	16.9	9.5
1995	537	32.1	16.7	10.4
1996	537	32.1	16.7	10.4
1997	507	32.2	15.7	12.2
1998	499	32.0	15.6	11.8
1999	497	33.2	15.0	11.9
2000	475	33.2	14.3	21.1
2001	461	34.0	13.6	18.2
2002	471	34.2	13.8	21.2
2003	471	34.2	13.8	21.2
2004	438	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	391	31.6	12.4	23.5
2006	368	30.0	12.3	24.5
2007	357	26.3	13.6	26.1
2008	323	25.2	12.8	25.7
2009	342	25.6	13.4	24.3
2010	313	27.2	11.5	29.4
2011	325	28.0	11.5	29.2
2012	344	25.0	13.7	27.6
2013	315	27.0	11.6	33.3
2014	330	27.0	12.2	29.4
2015	306	25.0	12.2	30.4
2016	323	22.0	14.6	33.1
2017	328	22.0	14.8	41.2
2018	328	24.0	13.6	43.3
2019	321	25.0	12.8	39.9
2020	358	23.0	15.5	43.6
2021	367	34.6	10.5	37.6
2022	368	29.0	12.6	37.5
2023	358	36.0	9.9	38
2024	394	36.0	10.9	33

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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