Historical public education information in Vermont, 2011-2015

---

This article does not contain the most recently published data on this subject. If you would like to help our coverage grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia.

---

Education policy in the U.S.

Public education in the U.S.

School choice in the U.S.

Charter schools in the U.S.

Higher education in the U.S.

Glossary of education terms

Education statistics

This page contains archived information on Vermont's public education system, primarily from 2011-2012, but also from other years due to the availability of data at the time it was written. For more recent information, view Vermont's public education page.

The Vermont public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2012 Vermont had 89,908 students enrolled in a total of 320 schools in 369 school districts. There were 8,364 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 11 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. There was roughly one administrator for every 188 students, compared to the national average of one administrator for every 295 students. On average Vermont spent $15,925 per pupil in 2011, which ranked it fifth highest in the nation. The state's graduation rate was 88 percent in 2012.

State agencies

See also: Vermont Department of Education

The mission statement of the Vermont Agency of Education reads:

“

The Vermont State Board of Education and Agency of Education provide leadership, support, and oversight to ensure that the Vermont public education system enables all students to be successful.

”

The Agency of Education is led by the Secretary of Education. The Secretary of Education is appointed by the governor from a list of candidates provided by the State Board of Education. The appointment is subject to confirmation by the state senate. As of June 2015, the officeholder for this position was Rebecca Holcombe.

The State Board of Education is "responsible for the establishment, advancement, and evaluation of public education policy." The board is composed of 11 members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the state senate. Of these 11 members, two are student representatives (one of whom has voting power, the other of whom does not). The Secretary of Education also serves as a non-voting member of the board.

Regional comparison

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Vermont compared to three neighboring states in school year 2011-2012 with respect to number of students, schools, the number of teachers per pupil, and the number of administrators per pupil. Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page.

Regional comparison, 2011-2012
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher/pupil ratio	Administrator/pupil ratio	Per pupil spending
Vermont	320	369	89,908	8,364	1:10.7	1:188.3	$15,925
Maine	621	260	188,969	14,888	1:12.7	1:114.2	$11,438
Massachusetts	1,835	401	953,369	69,342	1:13.7	1:210.1	$13,941
New Hampshire	477	281	191,900	15,049	1:12.8	1:349.6	$13,224
United States	98,328	17,992	49,521,669	3,103,263	16	295.2	$10,994
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey", 2011-12 v.1a. National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 2. Number of operating public schools and districts, state enrollment, teacher and pupil/teacher ratio by state: School year 2011–12" U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2011,Governments Division Reports," issued May 2013

Demographics

See also: Demographic information for all students in all 50 states

The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in Vermont as reported in the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for 2011-2012.

Demographic information for Vermont's K-12 public school system, 2011-2012
Ethnicity	Students	State percentage	United States percentage**
American Indian	315	0.35%	1.10%
Asian	1,515	1.69%	4.68%
African American	1,722	1.93%	15.68%
Hawaiian Nat./Pacific Isl.	63	0.07%	0.42%
Hispanic	1,251	1.40%	24.37%
White	82,688	92.46%	51.21%
Two or more	1,875	2.10%	2.54%
**Note: This is the percentage of all students in the United States that are reported to be of this ethnicity.

Enrollments by region type

See also: Student distribution by region type in the United States

A majority of students in Vermont attended rural schools during school year 2011-2012. Approximately 82 percent of the state's students attended rural or town schools, compared to approximately 18 percent who attended city or suburban schools.

Student distribution by region type, 2011-2012 (as percents)
State	City schools	Suburban schools	Town schools	Rural schools
Vermont	7.2%	11.2%	24.8%	56.9%
Maine	12.6%	11.2%	17.6%	58.6%
Massachusetts	20.8%	66.1%	2.2%	11%
New Hampshire	14.4%	31.8%	16.3%	37.5%
U.S. average	28.9%	34%	11.6%	25.4%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD)

Academic performance

Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Compared to three neighboring states (Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire), Vermont had the second smallest share of fourth grade students who scored at or above proficient in math in school year 2012-2013.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
Vermont	52%	47%	42%	45%
Maine	47%	40%	37%	38%
Massachusetts	58%	55%	47%	48%
New Hampshire	59%	47%	45%	44%
U.S. average	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state

See also: ACT and SAT scores in the U.S.

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Vermont and surrounding states in 2012 and 2013.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores*
State	Graduation rate, 2012		Average ACT composite, 2012		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
Vermont	88%	First	23	28%	1,540	61%
Maine	85%	Second	23.4	9%	1,380	95%
Massachusetts	85%	Second	24.1	23%	1,553	83%
New Hampshire	86%	First	23.8	19%	1,567	70%
U.S. average	80%		21.1		1,498
*Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Rate (except for Idaho, Kentucky, Oklahoma, which did not report “Regulatory Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate,” but instead used their own method of calculation). **Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades 9–12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Vermont was lower than the national average at 2.5 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 2.5 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in Vermont

As of June 2015, school choice options in Vermont included: a school voucher program, an inter-district open enrollment policy and an online learning program. In addition, about 10.59 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: Vermont state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2012
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), Vermont spent approximately 31.1 percent of its fiscal year 2012 budget on elementary and secondary education. As a share of the budget, this was up 4.70 percentage points, or 17.8 percent, from fiscal year 2008, when the state spent 26.4 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems
State	Percent of budget (2012)	Per pupil spending (2011)	Revenue sources (2011)
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
Vermont	31.1%	$15,925	7.07%	88.26%	4.68%
Maine	13.1%	$11,438	11.13%	40.22%	48.65%
Massachusetts	10.7%	$13,941	7.85%	37.91%	54.24%
New Hampshire	19.7%	$13,224	6.49%	37.29%	56.21%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report," Table 8: Elementary and Secondary Education Expenditures As a Percent of Total Expenditures U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2011,Governments Division Reports," issued May 2013

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system revenues in Vermont totaled approximately $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2011. The table and chart below present further detail, including revenue sources, for Vermont and surrounding states.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2011 (amounts in thousands)
	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
Vermont	$107,275	$1,339,844	$70,990	$1,518,109
Maine	$289,346	$1,045,786	$1,265,180	$2,600,312
Massachusetts	$1,197,383	$5,783,240	$8,275,257	$15,255,880
New Hampshire	$184,768	$1,061,011	$1,599,416	$2,845,195
U.S. total	$74,943,767	$267,762,416	$264,550,594	$607,256,777
Source: National Center for Education Statistics

\| \n <pbars size=650x300 title="" grid=true ymin=0 ymax=100 legend colorscheme=excel> ,Federal revenue,State revenue,Local revenue Vermont,7.07,88.26,4.68 Maine,11.13,40.22,48.65 Massachusetts,7.85,37.91,54.24 New Hampshire,6.49,37.29,56.21 U.S. total,12.34,44.09,43.56 </pbars>

Public school revenues by source, fiscal year 2011 (as percents)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures in Vermont totaled approximately $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2011. The table and chart below present further detail, including expenditure types, for Vermont and surrounding states.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2011 (amounts in thousands)
	General expenditures**	Capital outlay	Other***	Total expenditures
Vermont	$1,404,710	$63,812	$78,497	$1,547,019
Maine	$2,369,256	$164,949	$142,686	$2,676,891
Massachusetts	$12,894,969	$817,228	$767,052	$14,479,249
New Hampshire	$2,502,899	$206,241	$129,038	$2,838,178
U.S. total	$520,577,893	$52,984,139	$29,581,293	$603,143,325
**Funds spent operating local public schools and local education agencies, including such expenses as salaries for school personnel, student transportation, school books and materials, and energy costs, but excluding capital outlay, interest on school debt, payments to private schools, and payments to public charter schools. ***Includes payments to state and local governments, payments to private schools, interest on school system indebtedness, and nonelementary-secondary expenditures, such as adult education and community services expenditures. Source: National Center for Education Statistics

\| \n <pbars size=500x300 title="" grid=true ymin=0 ymax=100 legend colorscheme=excel> ,Current expenditures,Capital outlay,Other Vermont,90.80,4.12,5.07 Maine,88.51,6.16,5.33 Massachusetts,89.06,5.64,5.30 New Hampshire,88.19,7.27,4.55 U.S. total,86.31,8.78,4.90 </pbars>

Public school expenditures, fiscal year 2011 (as percents)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Vermont, the average salary increased by 1.8 percent.

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
Vermont	$51,600	$52,394	$52,160	$52,526	1.8%
Maine	$48,597	$49,216	$48,126	$48,119	-1%
Massachusetts	$63,656	$73,945	$72,915	$73,129	14.9%
New Hampshire	$51,567	$54,912	$55,079	$55,599	7.8%
U.S. average	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

Unions

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas, including: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Vermont ranked 11th overall, or "strong," which was in the second of five tiers.

The main union related to the Vermont school system is the United Professions of Vermont, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. For the 2003 tax period the union had: $733,618 in total revenue, $722,733 in total expenses and $54.758 in total assets. Another statewide union is the Vermont-National Education Association.

List of local Vermont school unions:

• United Professions of Vermont
• Vermont-National Education Association
• AFT Burlington
• AFT Barton
• AFT Brattleboro
• South Burlington Educators Association
• Windham Southeast Education Association
• Colchester Education Association
• Orleans Central Education Association

Government sector lobbying

See also: Vermont government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Vermont School Boards Association.

Transparency

The state's official spending transparency website can be accessed here.

Studies and reports

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

See also

• Public education in Vermont
• Vermont
• Education Policy in the U.S.