Enrollment
353
Vermont · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Essex Junction, VT
Founders Memorial School
Federal NCES profile for Founders Memorial School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 500039500403
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Founders Memorial School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Vermont median.
- #3 of 8
- public schools in Essex Junction · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.4:1
- students per teacher
- 11.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Founders Memorial School has class sizes near the Vermont median. Computed live against every Vermont school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Founders Memorial School ranks #3 of 8 public schools in Essex Junction, VT.
School address
NCES ID 500039500403 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 11.9:1 Vermont avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.8%
vs 27.6% Vermont avg
-57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Founders Memorial School compares with Vermont and U.S. medians
What stands out at Founders Memorial School
Founders Memorial School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Essex Junction, Vermont, enrolling 353 students.
At 11.4:1, 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.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 11.8% free-meal eligibility runs 57% below the Vermont average.
Enrollment of 353 puts it in the larger third of Vermont schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 288 Vermont schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 59 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Vermont schools statewide, it ranks #4, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 177 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
15.6% 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.
Among Essex Junction's elementary schools, it stands alongside Thomas Fleming School (197 students): Founders Memorial School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.4:1 vs 11.6:1).
Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 also operates Essex High School (1,224 students) and Essex Elementary School (484 students) alongside Founders Memorial 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 Founders Memorial School compares
Founders Memorial 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 | 11.4:1 | ▼ 4% | 11.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.8% | ▼ 57% | 27.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 353 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.4:1
Leaner classes than 80% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
353
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 57% 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
11.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 48% in Vermont - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
15.6%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 177 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 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 84.1%
Two or More 5.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.0%
Asian 4.0%
African American 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 84.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.6, Founders Memorial 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 Founders Memorial 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 Founders Memorial 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 |
| Essex Middle 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 Founders Memorial 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
- 366
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 305
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 297
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar elementary schools in Essex Junction
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~353 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Founders Memorial School's federal record.
- Compare Founders Memorial 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 Founders Memorial School
How many students attend Founders Memorial School?
Founders Memorial School has 353 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Essex Junction, VT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Founders Memorial School?
The student-teacher ratio at Founders Memorial School is 11.4:1, which is 4% lower than the Vermont average of 11.9:1 and 27% 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 Founders Memorial School?
11.8% of students at Founders Memorial School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Vermont average of 27.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Founders Memorial School?
The largest demographic group at Founders Memorial School is White at 84.1% of enrollment, in Essex Junction, VT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Founders Memorial School?
Founders Memorial School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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 Founders Memorial School rank among public schools in Essex Junction?
By Resource Investment Index, Founders Memorial School ranks #3 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 Founders Memorial School a good school?
Founders Memorial School earns 53/100 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 Founders Memorial School, Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 also operates Essex High School (1,224 students), Essex Elementary School (484 students), and Essex Middle School (366 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.