How equitable is school funding in Vermont?

The average funding equity score for Vermont school districts is 51 out of 100, compared to the national average of 49. This score considers per-pupil spending, need-adjusted spending, funding source diversity, and student-teacher ratios.

What does the equity score measure?

The equity score (0-100) measures four dimensions: per-pupil spending level, need-adjusted spending (rewarding districts that spend more where poverty is higher), funding diversity (less reliance on local property taxes), and resource access (lower student-teacher ratios).

School Funding Equity in Vermont

Reviewed by PlainSchools Editorial, K12 Schools Editorial Team · June 4, 2026

80 districts ranked by equity score — how equitably is school funding distributed? Equity is computed from NCES F-33 school finance data covering districts in all 50 states. See our methodology.

State Avg Score

National Avg Score

Highly Equitable (70+)

Low Equity (<30)

#	District	Enrollment	$/Pupil	Free Lunch	Local Rev %	Score
1	Champlain Islands Unified Union School District #66	200	$39,738	32.5%	1.5%	91
2	Norwich School District	351	$42,664	6.6%	0.7%	89
3	Winooski Incorporated School District	803	$68,829	61.1%	3.3%	87
4	Mettawee School District #84	226	$31,386	35.5%	2.2%	83
5	Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058A	629	$27,206	37.2%	1.0%	82
6	Hartland School District	311	$32,244	18.5%	0.4%	80
7	Vernon School District	204	$36,403	29.7%	3.6%	80
8	First Branch Unified School District #82	312	$26,455	27.0%	0.3%	79
9	Alburg School District	203	$32,448	53.1%	1.3%	76
10	Rivendell Interstate School District	427	$32,281	23.5%	4.7%	75
11	Ludlow Mt. Holly Unified Union School District #83	228	$33,395	34.1%	3.6%	74
12	Burlington School District	3,500	$31,121	40.6%	2.7%	72
13	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64	1,736	$26,197	40.6%	2.2%	71
14	River Valleys Unified School District #73	202	$31,437	19.8%	2.4%	71
15	Saint Johnsbury School District	1,085	$25,687	45.0%	0.4%	68
16	Bellows Falls Union High School District #27	318	$23,823	40.6%	0.4%	68
17	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62	1,268	$28,360	20.6%	1.0%	67
18	Barre Unified Union School District #97	2,221	$27,320	23.7%	3.4%	65
19	Missisquoi Valley School District #89	1,842	$25,903	25.9%	2.6%	65
20	Hartford School District	1,459	$30,524	24.4%	20.5%	65
21	West River Valley Union Education District #72A	217	$60,670	23.1%	4.2%	65
22	Addison Northwest Unified Union School District #54	940	$27,537	19.7%	2.3%	63
23	Newport City School District	315	$23,000	61.3%	0.8%	63
24	Harwood Unified Union School District #60	1,818	$26,615	18.1%	1.9%	62
25	Twin Valley Unified School District #75	377	$27,176	30.8%	7.1%	62
26	Milton School District	1,478	$24,300	22.0%	1.1%	61
27	Twinfield Union School District #33	324	$23,262	27.0%	2.3%	61
28	North Country Union Junior High School District	270	$24,808	54.8%	7.1%	59
29	Springfield School District	1,243	$31,030	47.8%	6.9%	58
30	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59	859	$31,367	24.4%	9.3%	58
31	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78	547	$22,865	24.7%	2.3%	58
32	Waits River Union High District #36	317	$24,552	32.7%	0.3%	57
33	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57	2,666	$26,541	24.4%	6.9%	55
34	Montpelier Roxbury Unified Union School District #71	1,234	$23,056	19.8%	0.6%	55
35	Georgia School District	632	$22,549	11.7%	0.5%	55
36	Blue Mountain Union School District #21	411	$22,681	39.4%	2.0%	55
37	Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union SD #51	3,767	$28,529	13.4%	6.4%	53
38	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96	2,373	$24,227	34.2%	5.9%	53
39	Weathersfield School District	275	$25,621	18.3%	0.7%	53
40	Mt. Abraham Unified School District #61	1,420	$26,602	15.6%	2.1%	52
41	Thetford School District	387	$23,789	13.0%	0.8%	52
42	Northern Mountain Valley Unified Union School District #85	834	$23,341	28.9%	0.8%	51
43	Taconic and Green Regional School District #63	1,643	$20,647	28.3%	2.1%	50
44	North Country Union High School District	688	$29,894	45.1%	9.6%	49
45	Sharon School District	244	$25,410	30.0%	3.6%	49
46	Mill River Unified Union School District #52	800	$28,664	33.3%	7.3%	48
47	Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058B	748	$25,577	27.3%	9.5%	48
48	Rutland City School District	1,960	$29,384	44.1%	8.5%	47
49	Addison Central Unified Union School District #55	1,773	$24,860	17.1%	3.3%	47
50	Washington Central Unified Union School District #92	1,430	$27,074	17.7%	7.4%	47
51	Orleans Southwest Union Elementary School District #94	338	$20,608	25.0%	2.7%	47
52	Echo Valley Community Union School District #67	201	$25,719	36.2%	4.9%	47
53	Cambridge School District	336	$20,884	17.3%	2.0%	45
54	White River Unified School District #79	629	$20,161	38.8%	6.8%	44
55	Hazen Union High School District #26	304	$23,649	26.6%	10.1%	44
56	Barstow Unified Union School District #49	212	$25,324	17.2%	2.0%	43
57	Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56	4,235	$25,238	11.4%	1.6%	42
58	Rutland Town School District	399	$22,565	10.3%	0.7%	42
59	Lamoille South Unified Union School District #90	1,609	$24,228	16.5%	3.4%	40
60	Danville School District	350	$20,490	16.6%	7.2%	39
61	Oxbow Unified Union School District #91	688	$23,303	26.2%	7.1%	36
62	South Burlington School District	2,717	$23,283	15.4%	4.7%	35
63	Mount Mansfield Unified Union School District #401	2,620	$21,857	7.5%	0.9%	33
64	Green Mountain Unified School District #77	689	$21,268	36.9%	7.4%	33
65	Colchester School District	2,435	$22,572	19.7%	3.1%	30
66	Windsor Central Unified Union School District #76	1,027	$20,458	9.8%	8.4%	30
67	Lake Region Union High School District #24	392	$21,814	30.8%	49.4%	30
68	Craftsbury Town School District	207	$19,584	13.0%	18.8%	27
69	Mount Anthony Union High School District #14	1,456	$18,768	41.5%	2.6%	25
70	Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	1,425	$16,672	46.6%	1.5%	24
71	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53	1,246	$18,361	39.9%	3.2%	24
72	Mount Ascutney School District #86	644	$19,450	18.8%	11.1%	24
73	Enosburgh-Richford Unified Union School District #88	1,067	$19,943	45.0%	17.1%	23
74	Rockingham School District	532	$18,976	43.4%	5.8%	22
75	Paine Mountain Union School District #68	1,061	$17,742	30.6%	3.5%	21
76	Quarry Valley Unified Union School District #70	1,111	$17,633	26.8%	6.9%	19
77	Lake Region Union Elementary Middle School District	733	$19,050	41.4%	48.0%	19
78	Arlington School District	422	$18,606	26.3%	9.1%	16
79	Fairfax School District	1,049	$14,549	11.1%	8.6%	15
80	Derby School District	498	$16,681	33.9%	29.0%	4

How the Equity Score Works

The equity score (0-100) evaluates four dimensions of school funding fairness:

Per-Pupil Spending (0-25)

Higher spending relative to peers

Need-Adjusted Spending (0-25)

Spending weighted by poverty level — rewards districts that spend more where need is greatest

Funding Diversity (0-25)

Less reliance on local property taxes, more state/federal support

Resource Access (0-25)

Lower student-teacher ratios = more individualized attention

National Equity Rankings → ← Back to Vermont

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.