Enrollment
579
Vermont · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fairfax, VT
Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax)
Federal NCES profile for Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax), including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 500393000206
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 77
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of Vermont schools.
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.5:1
- large classes for Vermont
- 9.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 579
- students enrolled
Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) has class sizes larger than 85% of Vermont schools. Computed live against every Vermont school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Fairfax School District · Vermont
NCES ID 500393000206 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 11.9:1 Vermont avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
9.1%
vs 27.6% Vermont avg
-67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) compares with Vermont and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax)
Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) is a lower-poverty, large combined-grade school in Fairfax, Vermont, enrolling 579 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Vermont schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 9.1% free-meal eligibility runs 67% below the Vermont average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Vermont, bigger than 92% of state schools at 579 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 288 scored Vermont schools.
Against 42 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #6.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment) (diversity index 10/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 290 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Fairfax School District spends $10,865 per pupil, 43% below the Vermont average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Fairfax's public schools, it stands alongside Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) (393 students): Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.5:1 vs 9.6:1).
Its district, Fairfax School District, also runs Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) (393 students).
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) compares
Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) on the metrics families compare, against Vermont and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Vermont | Vermont avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.5:1 | ▲ 22% | 11.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 9.1% | ▼ 67% | 27.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 579 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
579
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
9.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 67% below the Vermont average of 27.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 22% above state mean
Top 85% in Vermont - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
9.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$10,865
per pupil, district-wide
- below Vermont avg of $19,105
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 290 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 95.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.6%
African American 1.0%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Two or More 0.7%
Largest group: White at 95.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.7, Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) is less mixed than the Vermont school average of 19.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairfax School District, which includes Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax).
$10,865
Per student
-43%
vs Vermont
Avg $19,105
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 8.6%
State 88.3%
Federal 3.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax)'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar other schools in Fairfax
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Vermont, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~579 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax)'s federal record.
- Compare Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) against another school. Compare schools
- Fairfax School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax)
How many students attend Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax)?
Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) has 579 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fairfax, VT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax)?
The student-teacher ratio at Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) is 14.5:1, which is 22% higher than the Vermont average of 11.9:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax)?
9.1% of students at Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Vermont average of 27.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax)?
The largest demographic group at Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) is White at 95.0% of enrollment, in Fairfax, VT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax)?
Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) a good school?
Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of Vermont schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Fairfax School District?
Besides Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax), Fairfax School District also operates Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) (393 students). See the Fairfax School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.