Enrollment
393
Vermont · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 500393000204
Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) — Fairfax, VT
Federal NCES profile for Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax), including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 60
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Fairfax School District · Vermont
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.1:1
vs 13:1 Vermont avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.0%
vs 27.6% Vermont avg
-53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) compares with Vermont and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) reports 393 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% below the Vermont state mean of 13:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 36% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 13.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 53% below the Vermont average and 75% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 197 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fairfax School District spends $14,549 per pupil district-wide, below the Vermont average of $26,366 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 8.6% from local sources (property taxes), 88.3% from the state, and 3.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Vermont state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Vermont | Vermont avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.1:1 | ▼ 22% | 13:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.0% | ▼ 53% | 27.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 393 | top 80% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
13.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 53% below the Vermont average of 27.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.1:1
students per teacher
— 22% below state mean
Top 18% in Vermont — lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
100.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,549
per pupil, district-wide
— below Vermont avg of $26,366
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 197 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
34
in-school suspensions + 52 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 393 Top 80% in Vermont — larger than 20% of 289 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 10.1:1 -22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 13.0% -53% vs state
NCES ID 500393000204
Student demographics
White 96.4%
African American 1.5%
Hispanic or Latino 1.0%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Two or More 0.3%
Largest group: White at 96.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 197:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 34
Out-of-school suspensions 52
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairfax School District, which includes Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax).
$14,549
Per student
-45%
vs Vermont
Avg $26,366
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 579
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
Similar other schools in Fairfax
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax)
How many students attend Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax)?
Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) has 393 students enrolled. It is a other school in Fairfax, VT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax)?
The student-teacher ratio at Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) is 10.1:1, which is 22% lower than the Vermont average of 13:1 and 36% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax)?
13.0% of students at Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (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 Middle/High School (Fairfax)?
The largest demographic group at Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) is White at 96.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fairfax, VT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax)?
Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.