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Essex Junction, Vermont - 9 schools
An equity score of 63/100 ranks Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 #23 of 80 districts in Vermont (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $27,102 per pupil, Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 ranks #10 of 102 Vermont districts by per-pupil spending (Vermont districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,767
Total Enrollment
9
Schools
$27,102
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 operates 9 public schools serving 3,767 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Vermont. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 combined, 2 middle, 2 elementary, 1 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Chittenden County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $27,102 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 11 of 102 Vermont districts by per-pupil spending. See how Vermont compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 6.4% local, 85.8% state, and 7.9% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 63/100, ranked #23 of 80 in Vermont against a state average of 51, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 9 schools offering Advanced Placement (14 AP courses district-wide), a 204.6:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 17.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 78.9% White, 7.5% Asian, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Hiawatha Elementary School, with a diversity index of 47.8/100.
Its largest campus is Essex High School, enrolling 1,224 students (34% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Thomas Fleming School, at 197 students, a 6x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Essex High School accounts for 32.5% of all Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 school enrollment varies 6.2× across entities
Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 school enrollment ranges from 197 students (lowest) to 1,224 students (highest), a spread of 1,027 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 student-counselor ratio is 205:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 chronic absenteeism rate is 17.5% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 is typically wider than the Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51-aggregate figure suggests.
Comparisons are relative to Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in Vermont
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51?
Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 has 9 schools, including 1 high, 4 combined, 2 middle, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,767 students.
How much does Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 spend per student?
Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 spends $27,102 per student. The district has an equity score of 63/100, ranking #23 in Vermont.
What is the demographic composition of Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51?
Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 students are 78.9% White, 7.5% Asian, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 2.2% African American, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51?
Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 has an equity score of 63/100, ranking #23 out of 80 districts in Vermont.