With the school year kicking off across Vermont, the state's education system is again at the forefront of parents and other residents' minds. Knowing this, Vermont has started an initiative to analyze and reframe Vermont's education system.
The Agency of Education has completed its first phase of collecting data from all grade level schools across the state.
This first report provides an overview of critical data, ranging from student enrollment and academic performance to staffing levels and expenditures.
The Listen and Learn Tour is the first step to reimagine the future of the state’s education system. The Agency of Education is developing a plan to ensure that all students have equitable access to high-quality educational opportunities.
This first phase will engage with local and regional education leaders and school communities to ensure the work aligns with stakeholder needs and priorities, according to the Agency of Education website . The engagement opportunities will open up dialogues between stakeholders and education leaders and involve listening sessions with educators, families, students and community members.
Below are the results of that tour, broken up into five categories: Enrollment, demographics, student outcome, staffing and expenditures.
Vermont at a glance
In the 2022-23 school year, Vermont had a total public-school enrollment of 82,828 students, including prekindergarten, K-12 and adult learners. There are 288 public schools in 119 districts which are part of 52 supervisory unions or supervisory districts.
A supervisory district is a supervisory union that consists of only one district, like Burlington or Montpelier. Essentially, a supervisory union is a collaborative entity serving multiple school districts, while a supervisory district serves a single school district with similar administrative functions. There are 59 supervisory unions. Of that total, 12 are supervisory districts.
Additionally, there are 17 career and technical education centers. Outside of public schools, there are 127 approved and recognized Independent Schools and Other Settings − often run by charities − and a reported 9,679 students served in independent schools of which 3,541 students receive financial aid to assist with tuition. An additional 3,505 students are served in home school settings.
Compared to other states, Vermont has very small schools, ranking 46 in the country. The state has the highest staffing levels of any state and ranks high in expenditures per pupil.
Vermont’s students demonstrate high performance in reading and more average performance in math, according to the study.
Enrollment
Between 2003-04 and 2022-23, overall total enrollment - including prekindergarten, K-12 and adult - in Vermont public schools decreased by 6.2%, from 88,343 students to 82,828 students.
Meanwhile K-12 enrollment decreased by 14.2%. Much of this change occurred pre-pandemic due to being partially offset by an increase in the number of prekindergarten students served.
Demographics
The statewide student demographic picture is similar between 2019-20 and 2022-23. Demographics varied widely, with smaller schools as a group, on average, having higher percentages of students in special education and who are economically disadvantaged.
The methodology came from looking at students who were in special education classes, who qualified for the reduced lunch program and English language learners.
Student outcomes
Prior to the pandemic, the percentage of students that were proficient and above ranging from 51-57 percent in English language arts, and from 34-49 percent in math, varying by grade band, especially for math.
Grade bands are a way to plan for, teach and assess student learning at various points along the continuum without confining them to a specific grade level, according to the Department of Education Post-pandemic, proficiency rates were about 10 percent lower for all grade bands and subjects.
However, 2022-23 results on the new Vermont Comprehensive Assessment Program appear higher than 2021-22 results, but the change in assessment tool makes comparison difficult. Vermont student performance on the National Assessment of Education Progress was higher than in other states in 2015 but has been declining since then to be closer to the national average.
Looking at both 4-year and 6-year graduation rates in Vermont, both peaked in 2018-19, and have remained lower post-pandemic.
Staffing
Since 2019-20, the number of teachers, leaders and student service staff per 100 students has increased. On average, staffing levels were related to school size, with the number of staff per 100 students increasing as school size decreased.
Since 2019-20, average salaries have increased for all personnel categories. Average salaries for teachers increased from $61,970 to $69,562 (12.2%); for leaders from $84,623 to $95,526 (12.9%); for student services staff from $56,170 to $62,616 (11.5%); and for support services staff from $42,692 to $50,229 (17.7%).
Expenditures
Since fiscal year 2020, statewide total expenditures per pupil, using total enrollment, has increased from $22,782 to $27,537. The increase is in part due to more federal funding to address the impact of the pandemic. Total expenditures per pupil appears to be largely related to size of school.
Statewide special education expenditures in schools increased from fiscal year 2020 to fiscal year 2023, from $26,032 to $28,288 per special education student.
Moving forward, the state hopes to utilize this information to make decisions about how to maximize the effectiveness of Vermont's education system.
Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at SHakes@gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Agency of Education report highlights where Vermont schools need help
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