Enrollment
1,224
Vermont · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Essex Junction, VT
Essex High School
Federal NCES profile for Essex High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 500039500120
👥 S:T ratio 56
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Essex High School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Vermont median. It is also one of the largest schools in Vermont.
- #4 of 8
- public schools in Essex Junction · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11:1
- students per teacher
- 12.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Essex High School has class sizes near the Vermont median. Computed live against every Vermont school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Essex High School ranks #4 of 8 public schools in Essex Junction, VT.
School address
NCES ID 500039500120 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
111.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11:1
vs 11.9:1 Vermont avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.6%
vs 27.6% Vermont avg
-54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Essex High School compares with Vermont and U.S. medians
What stands out at Essex High School
Essex High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Essex Junction, Vermont, enrolling 1,224 students.
At 11:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Vermont median, within a few percentage points of the 11.9:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 12.6% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Vermont, bigger than 99% of state schools at 1,224 students.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 288 Vermont schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 35/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 14 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 180 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
16.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 spends $27,102 per pupil, 42% above the Vermont average, a better-resourced district than most.
Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 also operates Essex Elementary School (484 students) and Essex Middle School (366 students) alongside Essex High 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 Essex High School compares
Essex High 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 | 11:1 | ▼ 8% | 11.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.6% | ▼ 54% | 27.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,224 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11:1
Leaner classes than 83% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,224
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
12.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% 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
11:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 41% in Vermont - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
16.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$27,102
per pupil, district-wide
- above Vermont avg of $19,105
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors6.8 FTE
Per 180 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.3 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 80.3%
Two or More 6.5%
Asian 5.5%
Hispanic or Latino 3.8%
African American 3.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 80.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.5, Essex High School is more mixed than the Vermont school average of 19.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51, which includes Essex High School.
$27,102
Per student
+42%
vs Vermont
Avg $19,105
+63%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 6.4%
State 85.8%
Federal 7.9%
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 Essex High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Essex Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Founders Memorial School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Summit Street School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Albert D. Lawton School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Essex High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 484
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 366
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 305
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 297
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar high 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 (~1,224 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Essex High School's federal record.
- Compare Essex High School against another school. Compare schools
- Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51'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 Essex High School
How many students attend Essex High School?
Essex High School has 1,224 students enrolled. It is a high school in Essex Junction, VT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Essex High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Essex High School is 11:1, which is 8% lower than the Vermont average of 11.9:1 and 30% 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 Essex High School?
12.6% of students at Essex High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Vermont average of 27.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Essex High School?
The largest demographic group at Essex High School is White at 80.3% of enrollment, in Essex Junction, VT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Essex High School?
Essex High School has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Essex High School rank among public schools in Essex Junction?
By Resource Investment Index, Essex High School ranks #4 of 8 public schools in Essex Junction, VT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Essex Junction on the city page.
Is Essex High School a good school?
Essex High School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Vermont median. It is also one of the largest schools in Vermont. 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 Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51?
Besides Essex High School, Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 also operates Essex Elementary School (484 students), Essex Middle School (366 students), and Founders Memorial School (353 students). See the Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 district page for the complete list.
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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.