Summary:
The Rutland City School District in Vermont is home to three elementary schools serving grades PK-6: Rutland Intermediate School, Northeast Primary School, and Northwest Primary School. While the primary schools appear to be performing better, Rutland Intermediate School has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Vermont elementary schools and struggles with low academic proficiency and high chronic absenteeism.
Rutland Intermediate School, the largest of the three with 504 students, has significantly lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science compared to state averages. Its statewide ranking of 128 out of 137 schools in the 2024-2025 school year is concerning. The school's high chronic absenteeism rate of 40.2% is likely a contributing factor to its poor academic performance. In contrast, Northeast Primary School and Northwest Primary School have lower chronic absenteeism rates of 19.0% and 19.2%, respectively.
The data also suggests differences in the economic demographics of the schools. Rutland Intermediate School has a very high percentage of students (81.15%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage. The primary schools have lower percentages, with Northeast Primary at 65.82% and Northwest Primary at 81.5%. Additionally, Northeast Primary School had a higher per-student spending of $15,690 compared to Rutland Intermediate School's $14,313 in the 2018-2019 school year, raising questions about resource allocation within the district.
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