The top reported proficiency rate is 63% in English language arts. The lowest is 51% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Malletts Bay School
Malletts Bay School sits on Blakely Road in Colchester, Vermont, serving third through fifth graders as one of three elementary schools in the Colchester School District. The school draws from a town that blends suburban residential neighborhoods, busy retail corridors along US Routes 2 and 7, and the lakeshore geography of Malletts Bay and Lake Champlain. Colchester is the third-most populous municipality in the state, part of the Burlington metropolitan area, and home to Saint Michael's College, the Vermont National Guard, and major employers spanning healthcare, retail, and utilities. The town lacks a single concentrated downtown, with civic functions clustered on Blakely Road and schools distributed across different neighborhoods. The built environment is car-dependent, with Interstate 89 cutting through and bus service along the Route 7 corridor.
Academically, the most recent state assessment results paint a solid picture. On the Vermont Comprehensive Assessment Program, proficiency rates in English language arts run consistently in the low-to-mid sixties across all three grade levels. Math results show a wider spread, with third and fifth grade landing in the mid-fifties and fourth grade sitting around the midpoint. Fifth grade science proficiency comes in at roughly half of tested students. These are respectable outcomes for an upper-elementary school, particularly the ELA performance, which holds steady across grades. The school does not serve grade levels that carry graduation rates, and the upper-elementary grade band means there is no high school endpoint to report. Trend data was not available, so there is no year-over-year comparison to draw on. Participation rates were reported as missing, which a parent may want to ask the school about directly.
The student body is predominantly white, with smaller populations of Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Just over a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is moderate for the region. Information on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported in the data provided. The enrollment is evenly distributed across the three grade levels, and class sizes are moderate for an elementary setting in Chittenden County.
Colchester's housing market reflects its position as a desirable suburb of Burlington. Home values in the school's zip code run well above both the state and national benchmarks, and the price-to-income ratio is elevated, pointing to a market that may stretch budgets for families buying rather than renting. Rents are also above the state benchmark, though the gap between monthly rent and a monthly mortgage payment at current rates favors renting. The town saw modest population growth into the 2020 census and continues to pursue municipal sustainability projects, including solar arrays at the Recreation Center. Publicly reported infrastructure activity around Exit 16 of Interstate 89 suggests continued development focus along the commercial corridor, though specific large-scale housing plans were not detailed in available sources.
The school does not carry a charter or magnet designation. Title I status was not reported. Discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance data were not available in the provided material. The neighbor comparison set, which positions the school relative to districts in Chittenden County, could not produce proficiency index or graduation comparisons due to the small cohort and the school's grade band. Chronic absenteeism data was also missing. These gaps mean a family evaluating this school should look to the district directly for information on student support services, staff ratios, and attendance patterns.
What the available evidence shows is a mid-sized upper-elementary school in a mixed-use lakeside suburb, with steady literacy performance, reasonable math outcomes, and moderate economic diversity among its students. For a family in Colchester with a child entering third, fourth, or fifth grade, the school appears to offer a stable academic environment with consistent results across the grade band. The missing pieces on staffing, discipline, and special populations are worth filling in through conversations with the school before making a fuller judgment.
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