Enrollment
152
Vermont · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 500040300353
Waitsfield Elementary School — Waitsfield, VT
Federal NCES profile for Waitsfield Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 70
📋 Attendance 52
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: Harwood Unified Union School District #60 · 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)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 13:1 Vermont avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
26.2%
vs 27.6% Vermont avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waitsfield Elementary 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
Waitsfield Elementary School reports 152 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 12.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% 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 12% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 26.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 5% below the Vermont average and 49% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 152 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Harwood Unified Union School District #60 spends $26,615 per pupil district-wide, above the Vermont average of $26,366 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 1.9% from local sources (property taxes), 89.7% from the state, and 8.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), 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 Waitsfield Elementary 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 | 14:1 | ▲ 8% | 13:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.2% | ▼ 5% | 27.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 152 | top 36% | — | — |
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
26.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 5% 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
14:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 76% in Vermont — lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$26,615
per pupil, district-wide
— above Vermont avg of $26,366
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 152 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 152 Top 36% in Vermont — larger than 64% of 289 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 12.0
Students per teacher 14:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 26.2% -5% vs state
NCES ID 500040300353
Student demographics
White 96.1%
African American 2.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 96.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 152:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harwood Unified Union School District #60, which includes Waitsfield Elementary School.
$26,615
Per student
+1%
vs Vermont
Avg $26,366
+37%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 1.9%
State 89.7%
Federal 8.3%
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
- 556
- Students per teacher
- 9.3:1
- Enrollment
- 389
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Enrollment
- 262
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Enrollment
- 169
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 123
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
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 Waitsfield Elementary School
How many students attend Waitsfield Elementary School?
Waitsfield Elementary School has 152 students enrolled. It is a other school in Waitsfield, VT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waitsfield Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Waitsfield Elementary School is 14:1, which is 8% higher than the Vermont average of 13:1 and 12% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Waitsfield Elementary School?
26.2% of students at Waitsfield Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Vermont average of 27.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waitsfield Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Waitsfield Elementary School is White at 96.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Waitsfield, VT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waitsfield Elementary School?
Waitsfield Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) 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.