The top reported proficiency rate is 69% in English language arts. The lowest is 58% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Orchard School
Orchard School is a public elementary school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in South Burlington, Vermont, part of the South Burlington School District. It sits on its own campus, separate from the city's emerging downtown core, and draws from a community that has historically been car-oriented with commercial corridors along Shelburne Road and Dorset Street but is actively building a more walkable mixed-use center through its City Center Initiative.
The school enrolls a mid-sized elementary population for its grade band. Its student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful share of Black and Asian students and a smaller Hispanic and multiracial presence. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on individualized education plans and English-learner status was not available, so those portions of the school's support picture remain unseen here.
On Vermont's state assessments, Orchard shows a solid early-grade foundation that softens as students move up. Third graders performed well in both math and English language arts, with a clear majority reaching proficiency. Fifth-grade results held strong in ELA and science and were respectable in math. The standout gap is fourth-grade math, where proficiency dropped well below the other tested grades. Whether this reflects a cohort issue, a curricular transition point, or something else is hard to tell from a single year of data. A parent weighing this school may want to ask the administration how fourth-grade math instruction is structured and what supports are in place for students who enter that year below grade level. ELA results across all three tested grades were consistently stronger and more even, suggesting literacy instruction is a steady point.
No trend data was available to compare these results against prior years, so it is not possible to say whether this profile is improving, stable, or slipping. Participation rates for the assessments were also missing from the data provided.
Because Orchard is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report. The neighbor comparison set, drawn relative to districts in Chittenden County, could not produce a proficiency index for Orchard because the school-level cohort within the county was too small. Chronic absenteeism data was not reported for this school either. These gaps mean Orchard cannot be easily benchmarked against nearby schools using the available figures, though the absence reflects data availability rather than any judgment about performance.
South Burlington as a place offers a particular kind of setting. It is Vermont's second-most populous city, with a service-based economy anchored by healthcare, professional services, and retail. Ben & Jerry's has its headquarters here, and the University Mall draws regional traffic. The University of Vermont and UVM Medical Center sit just across the city line in Burlington and are major regional employers. The city has been investing heavily in a new downtown around Market Street, with mixed-use buildings, a public library, city hall, restaurants, and housing supported in part by UVM and UVM Health Network investments. For a family at Orchard, this means a suburb in transition, gaining pedestrian amenities and civic gathering space but still largely built around Interstate 89 and its commercial strips.
Housing here is expensive relative to both state and national benchmarks. Home values in the school's zip code run well above the Vermont median, and the price-to-income ratio sits above the national level, meaning ownership is a stretch for many households. Rents are also high, with rent absorbing a substantial share of typical income. Recent year-over-year figures showed home values and rents roughly flat, so the market has cooled from rapid growth but remains pricey. Families considering Orchard should expect a community with strong amenities and regional employer access, but a housing market that demands real financial planning.
The district brief turned up little of lasting impact in the way of recent parent-relevant changes, so there is nothing specific to flag on that front. Orchard's academic profile is that of a school with a strong early-grade base in literacy and math, a dip in fourth-grade math worth investigating, and a community investing in its own future.
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