The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 43% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Founders Memorial School
Founders Memorial School sits in Essex Junction, Vermont, serving grades three through five in the Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union School District. It is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet, and its enrollment sits at a moderate size for an upper-elementary grade band, with roughly equal numbers across the three grades. The student body is predominantly white, with small representations of Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on individualized education programs and English learner status was not reported, so we cannot characterize those populations here.
On state assessments, the school's English language arts results are a clear strength. More than half of third graders reached proficiency, fourth graders performed even more strongly, and fifth graders remained above the halfway mark. Reading and writing appear to be where this school's students perform best, with fourth grade standing out as the highest. Science results for fifth graders were also solid, with just over half meeting the proficiency bar. Math is the softer area. Third and fifth graders landed near the midpoint, while fourth grade math proficiency dropped noticeably below the other two grades. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly what supports are in place for the fourth grade cohort and whether this reflects a single-year dip or a pattern.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability. Participation rates were also missing from the state data. Because Founders Memorial serves only grades three through five, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not offer the advanced coursework or career pathways that a high school would. That is a function of grade band, not a gap.
The school's community context shapes much of what families experience. Essex Junction became Vermont's tenth city recently, separating from the Town of Essex after decades of tax disputes and more than twenty failed attempts at merger or separation. The city's identity is tied to GlobalFoundries' semiconductor plant, the largest private employer in Vermont, which has anchored the local economy since its IBM origins. Many residents also work at the University of Vermont Medical Center, the University of Vermont, Saint Michael's College, General Dynamics, or for the State of Vermont. This is a working community with a real industrial base, not a bedroom suburb or a resort town.
The downtown centers on Five Corners, a historic crossroads, and has seen federally funded restorations of the City Center and Pearl Street corridor. The city describes its neighborhoods as within walking distance of downtown, and a transportation terminal anchors the area with Amtrak and Green Mountain Transit service. Burlington International Airport and Interstate 89 are close. The Champlain Valley Exposition, home to the state's largest fair, adds a civic and cultural anchor. Schools are distributed throughout the community rather than on a single campus, with Founders Memorial operating alongside other district schools at different sites.
Housing in the school's zip code runs above both state and national benchmarks, with typical home values in the upper range for the area and rents that are more moderate relative to local incomes. Estimated mortgage costs exceed rental costs by a meaningful margin, which may influence how families approaching this school think about tenure in the neighborhood. The broader economic environment shows steady mortgage rates and a stable unemployment picture.
Among districts in Chittenden County, the comparison data could not place Founders Memorial meaningfully. The county-level proficiency comparison was not computed because the comparable cohort was too small, and graduation and chronic absenteeism metrics do not apply to this school or were not reported. So while the county has a broad mix of districts, this school's standing among them on tested outcomes is not something the available data can locate.
What the picture supports is this: Founders Memorial is a mid-sized upper-elementary school in a newly incorporated city with a strong employment base and a walkable downtown. Its students read and write well, with ELA proficiency consistently above the midpoint across all three grades. Math is more uneven, with a fourth grade dip that stands out. Families looking for a community with both industrial employment roots and civic amenities, who value strong literacy outcomes, and who want a school where the grade band is focused on the transitional years before middle school would find a reasonable fit here. Those concerned about math performance should ask the school directly about intervention strategies and how fourth grade instruction is structured.
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