Enrollment
124
Vermont · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bethel, VT
Bethel Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Bethel Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 500042600036
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 75
📋 Attendance 9
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bethel Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Vermont schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.3:1
- small classes for Vermont
- 37.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 124
- students enrolled
Bethel Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 70% of Vermont schools. Computed live against every Vermont school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: White River Unified School District #79 · Vermont
NCES ID 500042600036 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 11.9:1 Vermont avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.0%
vs 27.6% Vermont avg
+34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bethel Elementary School compares with Vermont and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bethel Elementary School
Bethel Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Bethel, Vermont, enrolling 124 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Vermont schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 37.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 124 puts it in the smaller third of Vermont schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 288 scored Vermont schools.
Against 49 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #14.
Its student body is predominantly White (97% of enrollment) (diversity index 6/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 124 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
White River Unified School District #79 also operates White River Valley High School (224 students) and South Royalton Elementary School (168 students) alongside Bethel Elementary School.
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 Bethel Elementary School compares
Bethel Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Vermont and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Vermont | Vermont avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.3:1 | ▼ 13% | 11.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.0% | ▲ 34% | 27.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 124 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.3:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
124
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 34% above the Vermont average of 27.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.3:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 30% in Vermont - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
36.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,205
per pupil, district-wide
- below Vermont avg of $19,105
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 124 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 96.8%
Hispanic or Latino 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.6%
Largest group: White at 96.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.2, Bethel Elementary School is less mixed than the Vermont school average of 19.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for White River Unified School District #79, which includes Bethel Elementary School.
$16,205
Per student
-15%
vs Vermont
Avg $19,105
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 6.8%
State 92.3%
Federal 0.9%
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 Bethel Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| White River Valley High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Royalton Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| White River Valley Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bethel Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 224
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 168
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 133
- Students per teacher
- 7.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
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 (~124 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bethel Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Bethel Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- White River Unified School District #79'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 Bethel Elementary School
How many students attend Bethel Elementary School?
Bethel Elementary School has 124 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bethel, VT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bethel Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bethel Elementary School is 10.3:1, which is 13% lower than the Vermont average of 11.9:1 and 34% 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 Bethel Elementary School?
37.0% of students at Bethel Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Vermont average of 27.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bethel Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Bethel Elementary School is White at 96.8% of enrollment, in Bethel, VT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bethel Elementary School?
Bethel Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Bethel Elementary School a good school?
Bethel Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% 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 White River Unified School District #79?
Besides Bethel Elementary School, White River Unified School District #79 also operates White River Valley High School (224 students), South Royalton Elementary School (168 students), and White River Valley Middle School (133 students). See the White River Unified School District #79 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.