Enrollment
366
Vermont · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Essex Junction, VT
Essex Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Essex Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 500039500121
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 63
📋 Attendance 32
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Essex Middle School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Vermont median.
- #6 of 8
- public schools in Essex Junction · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.1:1
- students per teacher
- 16.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Essex Middle School has class sizes near the Vermont median. Computed live against every Vermont school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Essex Middle School ranks #6 of 8 public schools in Essex Junction, VT.
School address
NCES ID 500039500121 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.1:1
vs 11.9:1 Vermont avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.0%
vs 27.6% Vermont avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Essex Middle School compares with Vermont and U.S. medians
What stands out at Essex Middle School
Essex Middle School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Essex Junction, Vermont, enrolling 366 students.
At 11.1:1, 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 16.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 366 puts it in the larger third of Vermont schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 288 scored Vermont schools.
Against 67 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #15.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Two or More (11%) (diversity index 37/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 183 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
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.
Among Essex Junction's middle schools, it stands alongside Albert D. Lawton School (297 students): Essex Middle School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (11.1:1 vs 9:1).
Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 also operates Essex High School (1,224 students) and Essex Elementary School (484 students) alongside Essex Middle 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 Middle School compares
Essex Middle 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 | 11.1:1 | ▼ 7% | 11.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.0% | ▼ 42% | 27.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 366 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.1:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
366
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
16.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
11.1:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 43% in Vermont - lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
27.3%
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
$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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 183 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
21
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.7 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 78.1%
Two or More 10.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
African American 3.3%
Asian 2.7%
Largest group: White at 78.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.4, Essex Middle School is more mixed than the Vermont school average of 19.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51, which includes Essex Middle 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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Essex Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Founders Memorial School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Summit Street School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Albert D. Lawton School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Essex Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,224
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 484
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- 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 middle schools in Essex Junction
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~366 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Essex Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Essex Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend Essex Middle School?
Essex Middle School has 366 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Essex Junction, VT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Essex Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Essex Middle School is 11.1:1, which is 7% lower than the Vermont average of 11.9:1 and 29% 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 Middle School?
16.0% of students at Essex Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Vermont average of 27.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Essex Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Essex Middle School is White at 78.1% of enrollment, in Essex Junction, VT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Essex Middle School?
Essex Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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).
How does Essex Middle School rank among public schools in Essex Junction?
By Resource Investment Index, Essex Middle School ranks #6 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 Middle School a good school?
Essex Middle School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Vermont median. 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 Middle School, Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 also operates Essex High School (1,224 students), Essex Elementary School (484 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.