Vermont

Education In Vermont

Sadie Smith

The Vermont education system is ranked 5th in the nation (Hanson). The schools offer a wide variety of options for students ranging from public schools to independent schools. Instruction tends to be very good as students continuously produce test results above the national average (“NAEP State Profiles”).

The information below explains statistical and general information about Vermont schools. Read more to find out about the Vermont education system.

2020-2021 Total Public School Population

(“Vermont Education Dashboard: Enrollment | Agency of Education”)

  • 81, 4944 Students

(Figure 1)

Public v. private school attendance

(“Digest of Education Statistics, 2020”)

  • Public school attendance Fall 2018: 83, 751 Students
    • Public schools: 305

(“ELSI – Elementary and Secondary Information System”)

      • Addison County: 21 schools
      • Bennington County: 16 schools
      • Caledonia County: 13 schools
      • Chittenden County: 49 schools
      • Essex County: 4 schools
      • Franklin County: 22 schools
      • Grafton County: 1 school
      • Grand Isle County: 4 schools
      • Lamoille County: 16 schools
      • Orange County: 21 schools
      • Orleans County: 20 schools
      • Rutland County: 32 schools
      • Washington County: 26 schools
      • Windham County: 28 schools
      • Windsor County: 32 schools
  • (Figure 2) 
    • Public school districts: 184
    • Student to teacher ratio: 11:1

(“Best Private Schools in Vermont (2022) | PrivateSchoolReview.com”)

  • Private school attendance in Fall 2018: 11, 499 Students
    • Private schools: 126 schools
    • Average tuition:
      • $17, 738 for elementary schools
      • $32, 117 for high school
    • Student to teacher ratio: 7:1
    • 22% of the private schools in Vermont are religiously affiliated

Expenditures in Vermont

(“Digest of Education Statistics, 2021.”)

  • Total state public education budget: $1, 847, 486, 000

 (Hanson | “U.S. Public Education Spending Statistics [2022]: Per Pupil + Total.)

  • Average per pupil expenditure in Vermont vs. Nationally in the  2019-2020 school year
    • Vermont: $21, 314
    • National: $14, 445

(“Per Pupil Expenditures: Vermont”)

  • High/low per pupil expenditure within state
    • High per pupil expenditure: $28,249
      • District: Montpelier Roxbury Unified Union School District
      • School: Roxbury Village School
        • 43 Students
        • Elementary school (K-4)
    • Low per pupil expenditure: $6,573
      • District: Fairfax School District
      • School: Bellows Free Academy Fairfax
        • 437 Students
        • Middle and high school (7-12)

Student Demographics

(“ELSI – Elementary and Secondary Information System.”)

  • Male: 52.2%
  • Female: 47.8%
    • Native American/Alaskan Native: 0.29%
    • Asian/Pacific Islander: 2.16%
    • Hispanic: 2.59%
    • Black: 2.46%
    • White: 88.9%
    • Two or more races: 3.39%
    • Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander: 0.131%

(Figure 3)

Graduation 

Graduation Requirements 

(“State Education Practices (SEP).”)

  • Total credit requirements: 20 credits
    • English: 4 credits
    • Math: 3 credits
    • Science: 3 credits
    • Arts: 1 credit
    • Social Studies: 3 credits
  • There is no state exam required to exit high school or obtain a high school diploma nor is there recognition for exceeding number of credits required by the state to graduate.

(“Vermont Education Dashboard: Enrollment | Agency of Education.”)

  • In 2020, Vermont’s Education Quality Standards began requiring that graduation requirements be based on proficiency rather than time spend in the classroom.
    • Proficiency graduation requirements are determined locally in terms of content knowledge and skill have have been pre determined to qualify a student for a high school diploma. Mastery in these areas signifies that students are prepared for college, careers, and citizenship opportunities following high school.

(Fitzsimmons)

    • Proficiency – Based Graduation Requirements (PBGRs):
      • literacy
        • critical thinking, language, reading, speaking, listening, and writing
      • mathematical context and practices
        • numbers, operations, the concepts of algebra and geometry buy the end of 10th grade
      • scientific inquiry and content knowledge
        • concepts of life sciences, physical sciences, earth and space sciences, and engineering design
      • global citizenship
        • concepts of civics, economics, geography, world language, cultural studies, and history
      • physical education and health education
      • artistic expression
        • visual, media, and preforming arts
      • transferable skills
        • communication, collaboration, creativity, innovation, inquiry, problem solving, and use of technology
    • Each secondary school board is responsible for setting graduation requirements that follow these rules.

Graduation Rates

(“Common Core of Data (CCD).”)

  • Overall Graduation Rate: 84.5%
    • Native American/Alaskan Native: not reportable
    • Asian/Pacific Islander: 83%
    • Hispanic: 78%
    • Black: 71%
    • White: 86%
    • Two or more races: 75%
    • Economically Disadvantaged: 76%
    • Limited English proficiency: 63%
    • Students with Disabilities: 71%
    • Homeless Students: 68%

(Figure 4)

Adoption of Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards

(“Content Areas | Agency of Education.”)

  • Vermont has adopted the Common Core State Standards for English and Mathematics.
  • Vermont has adopted the Next Generation Science Standards.

State Assessments

(“Content Areas | Agency of Education.”)

  • Vermont assesses student performance through the Vermont Comprehensive Assessment Program (VTCAP). It is based on CCSS, NGSS, and English Proficiency Standards. Vermont also tests students in grades 3-8 and 11 through the NECAP in addition to the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) which is given two 2nd graders. For students with cognitive disabilities, Vermont uses the Vermont Alternate Assessment (VAA) to test progress of students who require accommodations. Additionally, Vermont is required to have students in grades 4, 8, and 12 take the NEAP exams to provide data to the federal government to determine if their state is proficient in reading and math. Vermont typically preforms above the national average in for each test and grade level (“NAEP State Profiles”).
    • VTCAP was established by the State Board of Education in 1996 with the goal of improving teaching and learning.

(“Vermont NECAP Test Prep.”)

    • NECAP measures how well a student has learned a subject in the areas of math, reading, science, and writing. Every school must use NECAP result and local data to write an action plan for school improvement.
      • NECAP scores are of a scale of 1-4. Students who score at or above proficient have met state standards.
        • 1: proficient with distinction
        • 2: proficient
        • 3: partially proficient
        • 4: substantially bellow proficient
  • (“Content Areas | Agency of Education.”)
    • DRA evaluates early reading performance, however, it is no longer a state assessment, but many school continue to use it to see if their students are on track.
  • Vermont’s Every Student Succeeds Act Plan includes physical education as another academic area that is assessed. It is assessed through the FitnessGram tests, the Brockport Physical Fitness test, and an Individual Fitness Assessment which allows the state to test students of all abilities.

These tests help Vermont evaluate and educate each child as a whole as they are aware that healthier students tend to preform better in every aspect of school. Additionally they serve the purpose of:

  • identifying schools in need of support
  • providing data for schools to use to evaluate/improve their programs
  • making information available to parents and community members

Charter Schools

(Moore, “Categories”)

Vermont is one of five states that has not passed a law to allow charter schools in the state. In lieu of charter schools, Vermont has independent schools. These schools have a distinct educational mission that is run by a board of trustees. They often include education that public schools cannot or will not undertake. (Moore, “What Are Independent Schools?”). Independent schools are supported by tuition payments, charitable contributions, and endowment revenue. Vermont’s independent schools are slip into two categories, approved independent schools and recognized independent schools.

(Moore, “Categories”)

  • 130 independent schools that serve 8,800 students

Approved independent schools make up 73% of the independent school population. These schools have a wide range of educational philosophies and address a variety of students needs. Approved independent schools have to ability to choose which grades they serve. Non-religious approved independent schools can receive tuition from public funds. Each independent school that wishes to become an approved independent school must go through an approval process which is as follows:

    • Independent schools must submit a written application in addition to going through an on-site approval visit and an overall review of the school’s organization, curriculum, facilities, staff qualifications, student health and safety, and financial qualifications. 
    • Additionally, many approved independent schools hold a more stringent accreditation from the Independent Schools Commission of the New England Association of Schools & Colleges, making their schools more “official.”

Recognized independent schools are seen as schools by the state, but do not have the same status as approved independent schools and they are not allowed to receive public funding. Recognized independent schools make up 27% of the independent school system. These schools have to file an enrollment notice which constitutes the following:

    • Recognized independent schools must file an annual enrollment notice through the Secretary of Education, which gives the Vermont Education Department information about the schools objectives, operating schedule, curriculum, assessment procedures, and student demographics. 

Vermont’s Voucher Program

(Moore, “Tuition Payments”)

Many smaller towns in Vermont do not have local high schools and some do not have local elementary or middle schools. In order to allow all students access to education across the state, students in these small towns have the ability to schools from public or non-religious independent schools in other towns or those outside the state and nation. In Vermont, there are 88 towns that condone school choice within the realms of grades K-12 (Moore, “School Choice Towns”). Each town has the ability to decide which grades are allow for school choice. Some towns only let grades 7-8 choose, while others allow 9-12 or K-12. A few towns, especially those without schools entirely, designate specific schools to receive students.

(Moore, “Tuition Payments”)

Vermont’s school choice system is well established for students living in school districts without access to all grade levels. The process for obtaining and using a voucher is as follows:

    • There is NO voucher physically given to schools nor is is needed. 
    • Receiving schools, those taking in kids from other districts or schools, send an invoice to students’ home district. The home district verifies eligibility and pays the money requested by receiving school.
  • Tuition for transfer students
    • When students are sent to a Vermont public school, the sending town pays the receiving districts full cost of turion.
    • When students choose to attend a Vermont independent school, the sending town’s payment is set at the Vermont state wide average per pupil cost.
      • Since most independent school tuitions are more than the average per pupil expenditure, parents become responsible for covering the cost above the voucher’s value.
      • Independent schools receiving public funds from school districts must be “approved” and non-sectarian.

Other Types of Schooling

(“Home”; “Independent Schools | Agency of Education”)

  • Distance Learning Schools
    • A distant learning school is a branch of independent schools that do not meet in person and offer curriculum online.
  • Tutorial Programs
    • A type of education that is given to a student who is placed in a short-term program for the purpose of evaluation and/or treatment. It is not administered by a school district.
  • Teen Parent Education Programs
    • A type of educational program designed to provide educational and other services to pregnant or parenting pupils.
  • Homeschools
    • A type of education that lines up with the curriculum taught in public schools, but is administered by parents at home or another location. It is not considered another type of school, rather a type of education.

Average Teacher Salary

(“NCTQ: Yearbook: Pay Scales and Performance Pay: Vermont”)

Vermont does not address salary requirements, giving local districts the authority to set a pay scale. This eliminates barriers (state salary schedules) that control how districts pay teachers.

(“Digest of Education Statistics, 2020.”)

  • In 2019-2020 the average teacher salary was $61, 108.

Baseline Salary for Full Time Teachers Based on Education Level in 2019-2020

  • Bachelors degree: $50, 190
  • Masters degree: $64, 490

Merit Pay for Teachers

(“NCTQ: Yearbook: Pay Scales and Performance Pay: Vermont”)

  • Vermont does not have a policy that compensates effective teachers.

Teacher Evaluation Methods

(Teacher Evaluation Review Rubric SU)

There are 20 criteria based guidelines based on Vermont Guidelines for Teacher & Leader Effectiveness. Leaders and teachers are evaluated on the same criteria. Each category is scored in one of four categories: ineffective, developing, effective, and highly effective. If teachers fail to meet the criteria, they can be removed from their positions. For teachers, the criteria for evaluation is as follows:

  1. Safe and open collaboration, meaning a teacher is transparent, collaborative, and has the ability to foster professional communities.
    1. Clear opportunities for those being evaluated to appeal evaluation process and/or judgements.
    2. Maintains open and ongoing communication with the evaluator.
  2. Measurement of teacher performance are based on levels of performance standards.
    1. Reflection of criteria for evaluation based on local, state, and national standards.
    2. Measures skills core to the teacher’s role.
    3. Feedback is provided to evaluator in a timely manner.
    4. Provides high quality feedback.
  3. Teachers are consistently unable to meet the standards of practice should be removed.
    1. Includes clear and established corrective action processes.
  4. Integrated systems must link evaluation procedures with curricular standards, learning activities support, and human capital decisions.
    1. Drives individual professional growth goals.
    2. Includes systems for tracking professional growth.
    3. Drives collective professional offerings.
  5. Teachers’ input in determining performance and learning outcomes.
    1. Includes opportunities for those being evaluated to self-assess during the process.
  6. Teachers help to define a set of practices, student growth, and objectives to be assessed in addition to standards.
    1. Includes student achievement.
    2. Differentiates explicitly where processes differ based on role. (Doesn’t overstep role).
  7. Assessment and evaluation systems are made as close to local level as possible and collaborate with other staff members.
    1. Includes a clear process and a timeline of evaluation.
    2. Clear difference between roles and responsibilities.
    3. Included systemic means for reviewing and updating processes based on feedback.
  8. Evaluations are fair and conducted by highly trained and objective supervisors/evaluators.
    1. Demonstrated that the students strive for consistency.
    2. Includes credible training opportunities for evaluators.
  9. Evaluations must be adequately funded and staffed, fully developed, and validated.
    1. Data collection system is in place.
    2. Yearly budget funds support the data-informed development plan for professionals.

Teachers Unions in Vermont

  • Vermont’s largest teachers union is Vermont-National Education Association. It is comprised of 12,000 members. (“Home” | Vermont-NEA)
  • Vermont also has its own sector of the American Federation of Teachers comprised of 5,000 members. (“AFT Vermont | Stateweb”).

School System Analysis:

Vermont public schools have varying numbers of schools within each of the 15 counties across the state. The number of public schools ranges from 1 school in Grafton County to 49 in Chittenden County (“ELSI – Elementary and Secondary Information System”). Due to this variation in the number of schools across the counties, Vermont must find ways to ensure every student has access to education from kindergarten to 12th grade as required by law.

Students find themselves being bused to schools across county or state lines, while parents struggle with the decision of sending their child to a neighboring public school, independent school, private school, or selecting a different type of education such as online schooling. The Vermont Board of Education recognizes this struggle and has implemented some solutions to provide education to those in counties who may not have access to K-12 education.  

As a result, Vermont established a voucher program; however, there is no physical voucher exchanged nor does it have a set amount of money. The voucher changes annually based on the state’s average per-pupil expenditure. The way the system works is that one town, the sending town, transfers a public-school student to another town, the receiving town. The receiving town sends an invoice to the sending town, and that town pays the receiving town’s public-school tuition in full. So, the sending school is paying money to the receiving town to allow for the town’s per-pupil expenditure to stay the same while taking on another student. (Moore, “Tuition Payments”). If a parent decides to send their child to an independent school, the sending town will only pay the state’s average per-pupil expenditure. The parent is then responsible for paying the rest of the tuition as independent schools typically cost more than the per-pupil expenditure. Additionally, the independent school has to be approved by the state to receive public funds from a sending town; otherwise, the parent will have to pay the school’s tuition in full. Independent schools that do not receive public funding are known as recognized independent schools. (Moore, “Categories”). The establishment of independent schools has assisted in making education more accessible to every student across Vermont; however, the possibility of paying for public education–which should be free–can be financially harmful to parents as the median household income for Vermont is about $63,000 and most of that money may be contributed to sending a child to the school closest to home, whether it be an approved independent school, recognized independent school, or private school. (United States Census Bureau | “QuickFacts: Vermont.”). The combination of school fees and low household income suggests that the independent school system is not as helpful as it may seem, and the nearest public school may be hours away, which is not feasible for child travel. Overall, the wide variation of access to public schools is not beneficial to the education of Vermont’s students.

 

Independent School Crisis:

Vermont Education News Article 

(Note: the analysis is referring to the article unless otherwise specified or cited.)

Early 2022, The Sharon Academy got the go-ahead to increase their tuition by $1,700. The academy is an approved independent school located in Windsor County. Since it is an independent school, the majority of the school’s tuition is covered by the state of Vermont. As stated on the Vermont Independent Schools Association website, Vermont is required to provide students with adequate funding to attend schools outside of district lines where middle and high schools are not located (Moore, “Tuition Payments”). Since the public school system ends up paying for the out-of-district school tuition rates, Vermont needs to cap the amount of tuition to be covered. In the 2021-2022 school year, elementary school students were given $15,513 and 7-12 graders were provided with $16,842 to attend schools across district lines. Next year, The Sharon Academy tuition will rise to $18,500 for the 2022-2023 school year due to independent school administrators’ claim that the current tuition limits are not high enough for school operation. As a result, the superintendents of neighboring school districts are getting worried about the rising cost of independent schools as increases in tuition could result in spending more than a quarter of a million dollars to send students to nearby schools. 

The issue with the increase in tuition by The Sharon Academy is that public school districts that work to send 120 students to the academy will have to force the districts to spend thousands more in taxpayer money to meet the cost standards. The academy receives full tuition from all its students in addition to annual fundraising that brings in $300,000. That puts the school’s total funding at $2,820,000. That is a significant amount of money at first glance; however, it only provides students with $18,800 each. This places the school’s per-pupil expenditure in the upper half of per-student spending across Vermont. Yet, that is over $2,000 more spent on students when compared to the grants given to students by the Vermont public education system. (“Per Pupil Expenditures: Vermont”). 

The increase in tuition prices results in lessening Vermont’s education fund, which ultimately decreases the number of schools as the state would no longer have enough money to support all 305 public schools and 130 independent schools. The independent schools and public schools claim to be underfunded; however, the tuition increase is going to create lower funds for other public schools across Vermont as more of the budget goes towards independent schools. Overall, the slight changes in tuition for independent schools can cause a significant increase in public education grants for students–as well as increased taxes for taxpayers–who are required to travel to other districts to obtain an education, ultimately increasing per-pupil expenditure across Vermont.

 

Note: Images were illegible when added to web page. Please click on the link below to see the figures referred to throughout the text. Images for State Profile Project

Works Cited