Amherst cut the ribbon Monday on Amethyst Brook Elementary School, a three-story, $99 million building that replaces two elementary schools built in the 1970s and becomes the town's first net-zero-energy public building. Families and state and local leaders toured the new facility, which sits on the former Fort River School site and brings together students who had been split between the old Wildwood and Fort River buildings.
The new school was built to serve 575 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, with five classrooms per grade level, according to WWLP. As Western Mass News reported, the ribbon cutting marked the completion of a new $99 million elementary school replacing the former Wildwood and Fort River buildings. Dr. Xiomara Herman, superintendent of Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools, told WWLP that the two previous buildings were old and needed to be replaced, adding that the new school has bright classrooms filled with natural light.
A Decade-Long Path to Opening Day
Getting here took years. The project was voted down by Town Meeting in 2016 but was eventually approved by the Town Council in 2023 through a debt exclusion vote, per The Amherst Current. Construction on the roughly $100 million, net-zero energy building began in late 2024, the outlet reported, and the school is now described by the Daily Hampshire Gazette as the first new elementary school opened in Amherst since the 1970s.
Not everything outdoors is finished yet. The Amherst Current reported that the playing fields won't be usable until the former Fort River School is torn down, which is expected to happen in early 2027.
Solar Panels and Heat Pumps Power the Building
Solar Panels and Heat Pumps Power the Building What makes Amethyst Brook different from every other public building in town is its use of ground-source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels. They are designed to provide 100% of the school's energy needs, according to the Amherst Indy, which also confirmed this is the town's first net-zero energy public building. WWLP's reporting likewise notes that the school uses ground-source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels as part of its push to enhance community amenities around the site.
Inside, the building includes a cafeteria with a performance stage, a library, a gym, and music and activity rooms, along with accessible playground equipment and areas for outdoor learning, per WWLP's account of the new facility. The broader site plan calls for restoring existing playing fields, adding basketball courts, and developing trails and rain gardens. The Massachusetts School Building Authority's own program materials note that geothermal ground-source heat pump systems and photovoltaic systems are now common features across its new construction projects statewide, though that broader context speaks to the program generally rather than to Amethyst Brook specifically.
Dual-Language Program Continues Under One Roof
Amethyst Brook also continues a program teaching children in both Spanish and English, bringing it together with programs for students with a variety of special needs in the same building. Kakas Coblyn said the school values every child's identity and treats language as an asset.
Paying for a $99 Million Building
The total project budget is $99.2 million, according to the Amherst Indy. The Massachusetts School Building Authority committed up to $49 million through its core building replacement program, WWLP reported, while Eversource incentives for energy-efficiency measures and ground-source heat pumps will provide approximately $1.5 million. Community Preservation Act funds will contribute another $700,000 toward the playing fields.
To soften the hit to taxpayers, the Amherst Town Council appropriated $5 million in reserves to reduce the impact of the debt exclusion, with the remaining costs to be paid by the town after voters approved municipal funding through the 2023 debt exclusion vote. Massachusetts Treasurer Deb Goldberg said the funding creates opportunities and pathways for children across communities.
Civics Lessons From the Ballot Box
The Yes for Amherst Schools ballot committee, which campaigned for the project, donated $3,000 to the school's parent-guardian organization to support student civics projects. Maryann Grim said early civics education can help children understand that their voices matter and that everyone has a role in their communities, framing the donation as a lesson tied directly to how the school itself came to be built.
