Elementary Schools in White River Unified School District #79

Summary:

The White River Unified School District #79 in Vermont is home to two elementary schools: South Royalton Elementary School and Bethel Elementary School. Based on the available data, Bethel Elementary School appears to be the standout performer in the district, consistently ranking higher than South Royalton Elementary School in statewide assessments.

Bethel Elementary School has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger and has reached as high as 7th out of 133 Vermont elementary schools in the 2023-2024 school year. The school's 5th-grade science test scores were significantly better than the state average, with 70.37% of students scoring proficient or better. In contrast, South Royalton Elementary School has a 3-star rating and has struggled with lower math scores, with only 25% of 5th graders scoring proficient or better, compared to the state average of 35.59%.

While both schools have relatively high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, Bethel Elementary School spends significantly more per student ($19,497) compared to South Royalton Elementary School ($12,766). This additional funding may be a contributing factor to Bethel's stronger academic performance. However, both schools face challenges related to student attendance, with chronic absenteeism rates above 12% at each school. Addressing these attendance issues could be an important area of focus for the district to improve overall educational outcomes.

District Detail

461 Waterman Road
South Royalton, VT 05068

(802) 763-8840

SchoolDigger Rank:
31^st of 75 Vermont districts

See the 2025 Vermont District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 649

Primary Schools: 2
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 1
Alternative Schools: 0

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				VTCAP English Language Arts (2025)			VTCAP Mathematics (2025)			VTCAP Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	VTCAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	VTCAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	VTCAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	VTCAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	VTCAP Mathematics 4th Grade	VTCAP Mathematics 5th Grade	VTCAP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bethel Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	273 Pleasant Street	Bethel	05032	Windsor County	White River Unified School District #79	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(802) 234-6607	124	12	10.5	57.3%	120 (96.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)							70.4	$19,497	$00	$19,497
South Royalton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	223 South Winsor Street	South Royalton	05068	Windsor County	White River Unified School District #79	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(802) 763-7740	168	15	11.4	51.2%	164 (97.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	63.2	45^th of 137 public elementary schools	67.2%		56.7	50^th of 133 public elementary schools	62.4%	5	40.7	70.0	75.0	44.4	35.0	25.0	70.0	$12,766	$00	$12,766

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Bethel School District	0 mi	2
Rochester Stockbridge Unified School District #81	6.06 mi	2	52^nd
Stockbridge School District	6.06 mi	1
Royalton School District	6.38 mi	1
Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59	6.79 mi	5	18^th

See the top VT Vermont districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Vermont Agency of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.