Enrollment
402
Vermont · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 500747000292
Orchard School — South Burlington, VT
Federal NCES profile for Orchard School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 19
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
District: South Burlington School District · Vermont
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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 13:1 Vermont avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.3%
vs 27.6% Vermont avg
-45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Orchard 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
Orchard School reports 402 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% below the Vermont state mean of 13:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 45% below the Vermont average and 70% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 251 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding South Burlington School District spends $23,283 per pupil district-wide, below the Vermont average of $26,366 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 4.7% from local sources (property taxes), 91.0% from the state, and 4.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Orchard 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 3% | 13:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.3% | ▼ 45% | 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
15.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 45% 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
12.6:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 63% in Vermont — lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
32.3%
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
$23,283
per pupil, district-wide
— below Vermont avg of $26,366
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.6 FTE
Per 251 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 402 Top 82% in Vermont — larger than 18% of 289 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 12.6:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.3% -45% vs state
NCES ID 500747000292
Student demographics
White 65.9%
African American 11.9%
Asian 8.5%
Two or More 8.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Largest group: White at 65.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.6
Students per counselor 251:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.3%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Burlington School District, which includes Orchard School.
$23,283
Per student
-12%
vs Vermont
Avg $26,366
+19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 4.7%
State 91.0%
Federal 4.3%
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
- 793
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Enrollment
- 565
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 378
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
Similar other schools in South Burlington
2 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 Orchard School
How many students attend Orchard School?
Orchard School has 402 students enrolled. It is a other school in South Burlington, VT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Orchard School?
The student-teacher ratio at Orchard School is 12.6:1, which is 3% lower than the Vermont average of 13:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Orchard School?
15.3% of students at Orchard School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Vermont average of 27.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Orchard School?
The largest demographic group at Orchard School is White at 65.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in South Burlington, VT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Orchard School?
Orchard School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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.