Vermont Schools

    Vermont was ranked first in the nation for its public education system by Morgan Quinto in the annual reference book, “Edcuation state Rankings 2005-06.” Quinto rates each state on 21 positive and negative factors including student achievement and personal attention from teachers. Vermont has a very low student to teacher ratio. In the 2005-06 school year, the class sized averaged 11.3 students per teacher. This is the lowest ratio in the country.

Vermont is also doing well in terms of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act of 2001. Of Vermont’s 283 tested schools, only 63 did not make their Adequate Yearly Progress requirements for the 2005-06 school year. Of the 63 schools, 47 did not make minimum requirements for the first time in 2006. This does not result in specific action by the state. However, the schools and districts that have not met their AYP for two years in a row may face sanctions ranging from providing transportation to students to higher-performing schools to a reconstruction of the entire school’s administration and academics.

Vermont will receive $355 million in federal aid through NCLB in the 2007 fiscal year. This money is in addition to the over $10,000 per student the state will spend in education costs.

For more information on Vermont’s schools or to see how your school fared, visit http://www.state.vt.us/educ.