Enrollment
282
Vermont · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Highgate Center, VT
Highgate Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Highgate Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 500043300434
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highgate Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Vermont median.
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.4:1
- students per teacher
- 22.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 282
- students enrolled
Highgate Elementary School has class sizes near the Vermont median. Computed live against every Vermont school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Missisquoi Valley School District #89 · Vermont
NCES ID 500043300434 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 11.9:1 Vermont avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.3%
vs 27.6% Vermont avg
-19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highgate Elementary School compares with Vermont and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highgate Elementary School
Highgate Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Highgate Center, Vermont, enrolling 282 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Vermont schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 22.3% lands close to the Vermont typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 282 puts it in the larger third of Vermont schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 288 scored Vermont schools.
Among 83 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Vermont schools statewide, it ranks #74, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Two or More (17%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 282 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Missisquoi Valley School District #89 spends $23,788 per pupil, 25% above the Vermont average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Missisquoi Valley School District #89 also operates Missisquoi Valley Union High School (759 students) and Swanton School (644 students) alongside Highgate 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 Highgate Elementary School compares
Highgate 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 | 10.4:1 | ▼ 13% | 11.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.3% | ▼ 19% | 27.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 282 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
282
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 19% 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
10.4:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 32% in Vermont - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
40.8%
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
$23,788
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 282 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.6 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 77.0%
Two or More 17.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Asian 0.7%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 77.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.6, Highgate Elementary School is more mixed than the Vermont school average of 19.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Missisquoi Valley School District #89, which includes Highgate Elementary School.
$23,788
Per student
+25%
vs Vermont
Avg $19,105
+43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 2.6%
State 82.3%
Federal 15.1%
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 Highgate Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missisquoi Valley Union High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Swanton School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Franklin Central School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highgate Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 759
- Students per teacher
- 9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 644
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 143
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
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 (~282 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highgate Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Highgate Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Missisquoi Valley School District #89'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 Highgate Elementary School
How many students attend Highgate Elementary School?
Highgate Elementary School has 282 students enrolled. It is a public school in Highgate Center, VT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highgate Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Highgate Elementary School is 10.4:1, 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 Highgate Elementary School?
22.3% of students at Highgate Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Vermont average of 27.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highgate Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Highgate Elementary School is White at 77.0% of enrollment, in Highgate Center, VT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highgate Elementary School?
Highgate Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Highgate Elementary School a good school?
Highgate Elementary School earns 33/100 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 Missisquoi Valley School District #89?
Besides Highgate Elementary School, Missisquoi Valley School District #89 also operates Missisquoi Valley Union High School (759 students), Swanton School (644 students), and Franklin Central School (143 students). See the Missisquoi Valley School District #89 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.