Enrollment
402
Vermont · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · South Burlington, VT
Orchard School
Federal NCES profile for Orchard School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 500747000292
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 19
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Orchard School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Vermont median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Vermont schools.
- #2 of 3
- schools in South Burlington · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.2:1
- students per teacher
- 15.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Orchard School has class sizes near the Vermont median. Computed live against every Vermont school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Orchard School ranks #2 of 3 schools in South Burlington, VT.
School address
District: South Burlington School District · Vermont
NCES ID 500747000292 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 11.9:1 Vermont avg
-6% 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
What stands out at Orchard School
Orchard School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in South Burlington, Vermont, enrolling 402 students.
At 11.2:1, 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 15.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 402 puts it in the larger third of Vermont schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 288 scored Vermont schools.
Against 68 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #33.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and African American (12%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 251 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among South Burlington's public schools, it stands alongside Chamberlin School (490 students): Orchard School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.2:1 vs 16.9:1).
South Burlington School District also operates South Burlington High School (793 students) and Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School (565 students) alongside Orchard 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 Orchard School compares
Orchard 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 6% | 11.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.3% | ▼ 45% | 27.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 402 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
402
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 45% in Vermont - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
32.3%
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
$21,608
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
Counselors1.6 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 53.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.4, Orchard School is more mixed than the Vermont school average of 19.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Burlington School District, which includes Orchard School.
$21,608
Per student
+13%
vs Vermont
Avg $19,105
+30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Orchard School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Burlington High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chamberlin School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rick Marcotte Central School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Orchard School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 793
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 565
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 378
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar other schools in South Burlington
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~402 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Orchard School's federal record.
- Compare Orchard School against another school. Compare schools
- South Burlington School District'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 Orchard School
How many students attend Orchard School?
Orchard School has 402 students enrolled. It is a public school in South Burlington, VT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Orchard School?
The student-teacher ratio at Orchard School is 11.2:1, which is 6% 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 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% of enrollment, in South Burlington, VT. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Orchard School?
Orchard School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Orchard School rank among schools in South Burlington?
By Resource Investment Index, Orchard School ranks #2 of 3 schools in South Burlington, VT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in South Burlington on the city page.
Is Orchard School a good school?
Orchard School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Vermont median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Vermont schools. 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 South Burlington School District?
Besides Orchard School, South Burlington School District also operates South Burlington High School (793 students), Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School (565 students), and Chamberlin School (490 students). See the South Burlington School District 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.