Enrollment
393
Vermont · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fairfax, VT
Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax)
Federal NCES profile for Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax), including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 500393000204
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Vermont schools.
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.6:1
- small classes for Vermont
- 13.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 393
- students enrolled
Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) has class sizes smaller than 80% of Vermont schools. Computed live against every Vermont school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Fairfax School District · Vermont
NCES ID 500393000204 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.6:1
vs 11.9:1 Vermont avg
-19% 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
What stands out at Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax)
Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Fairfax, Vermont, enrolling 393 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Vermont schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 13.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 393 puts it in the larger third of Vermont schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 288 Vermont schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 62 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Vermont schools statewide, it ranks #5, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (96% of enrollment) (diversity index 7/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 197 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
The surrounding Fairfax School District spends $10,865 per pupil, 43% below the Vermont average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Discipline events run high: 86 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 393 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Fairfax's public schools, it stands alongside Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) (579 students): Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.6:1 vs 14.5:1).
Its district, Fairfax School District, also runs Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) (579 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 Middle/High School (Fairfax) compares
Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (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 | 9.6:1 | ▼ 19% | 11.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.0% | ▼ 53% | 27.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 393 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.6:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
393
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
9.6:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 20% in Vermont - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
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 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 7.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.0, Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) is less mixed than the Vermont school average of 19.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairfax School District, which includes Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (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 Middle/High School (Fairfax) Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax)'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 579
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
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 (~393 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax)'s federal record.
- Compare Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (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 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 public 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 9.6:1, which is 19% lower than the Vermont average of 11.9:1 and 39% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. 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% of enrollment, 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 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) a good school?
Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax) earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% 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 Middle/High School (Fairfax), Fairfax School District also operates Bellows Free Academy Elementary (Fairfax) (579 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.