Enrollment
402
Vermont · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 500043400031
Molly Stark School — Bennington, VT
Federal NCES profile for Molly Stark School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.9:1
vs 13:1 Vermont avg
+53% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.9%
vs 27.6% Vermont avg
+99% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Molly Stark School compares with Vermont and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Molly Stark School reports 402 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 53% above the Vermont state mean of 13:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 99% above the Vermont average and 6% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 201 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 52.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 spends $16,672 per pupil district-wide, below the Vermont average of $26,366 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 1.5% from local sources (property taxes), 97.9% from the state, and 0.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Molly Stark School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Vermont state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Vermont | Vermont avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.9:1 | ▲ 53% | 13:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.9% | ▲ 99% | 27.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 402 | top 82% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
54.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 99% above the Vermont average of 27.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.9:1
students per teacher
— 53% above state mean
Top 97% in Vermont — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
52.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,672
per pupil, district-wide
— below Vermont avg of $26,366
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 201 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 17 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 402 Top 82% in Vermont — larger than 18% of 289 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 19.9:1 +53% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.9% +99% vs state
NCES ID 500043400031
Student demographics
White 86.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
Two or More 5.0%
African American 2.0%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 86.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 201:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 52.7%
In-school suspensions 18
Out-of-school suspensions 17
Expulsions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87, which includes Molly Stark School.
$16,672
Per student
-37%
vs Vermont
Avg $26,366
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 1.5%
State 97.9%
Federal 0.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 278
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Enrollment
- 249
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 245
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 147
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 30
- Students per teacher
- 9.3:1
Similar other schools in Bennington
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Molly Stark School
How many students attend Molly Stark School?
Molly Stark School has 402 students enrolled. It is a other school in Bennington, VT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Molly Stark School?
The student-teacher ratio at Molly Stark School is 19.9:1, which is 53% higher than the Vermont average of 13:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Molly Stark School?
54.9% of students at Molly Stark School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Vermont average of 27.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Molly Stark School?
The largest demographic group at Molly Stark School is White at 86.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bennington, VT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Molly Stark School?
Molly Stark School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.