The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Winooski Middle School
Winooski Middle School sits in the heart of one of Vermont's most distinctive small cities. Winooski calls itself "Vermont's Opportunity City," and the label fits. This is a densely packed, walkable place where converted woolen mills along the Winooski River now hold restaurants, offices, and apartments. The school district serves the entire city, and because Winooski covers only about one and a half square miles, the middle school, housing, and downtown all sit close together. Burlington is immediately next door, and many residents commute there for work. Green Mountain Transit runs bus service through town, and Interstate 89 plus US Routes 2 and 7 connect Winooski to the wider Chittenden County region.
The middle school serves grades six through eight and is part of the Winooski Incorporated School District. Enrollment is small, which is consistent with the city's compact size. The student body is one of the more diverse in Vermont. White students make up the largest single group, but Black and Asian students each represent substantial shares, and a smaller portion identify as Hispanic or two or more races. A very high proportion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the working-class and immigrant community that Winooski has become. The city's own strategic plan emphasizes diversity, affordability, and housing variety, and the school's demographics mirror those priorities in practice.
State testing results from the Vermont Comprehensive Assessment Program place this school in a difficult spot. In math, proficiency falls as students move up: sixth grade posts the highest rate, seventh is lower, and eighth is lower still. Across all three grades, only a small fraction of tested students reach proficiency. English language arts results are stronger but still modest, with sixth grade showing the best performance, seventh dipping, and eighth falling further. Science, tested only in eighth grade, lands at a low level as well. These are the most recent results available, and no multi-year trend data was provided, so it is hard to say whether performance is improving, flat, or declining over time. Participation rates were not reported. A parent considering this school may want to ask the administration directly what supports and interventions are in place for students performing below proficiency, and how the school plans to address the slide between sixth and eighth grade.
Several data points that parents often look for were not available. The dataset does not include individualized education program rates, English learner rates, chronic absenteeism figures, course access details, staffing numbers, or disciplinary data. Title I status was not reported. Program offerings were not listed. The district brief turned up no parent-relevant changes or initiatives from recent years that cleared a lasting-impact threshold. These gaps mean the picture here is incomplete in ways that go beyond test scores. A family would want to supplement this with a direct conversation with the school.
The neighbor comparison set, which positions this school relative to districts in Chittenden County, could not produce a proficiency index because the comparable cohort was too small. Graduation rate does not apply here because the school serves only middle grades. Chronic absenteeism could not be compared because the school's own figure was missing. So there is no clean way to rank Winooski Middle against its Chittenden County peers using the data provided.
Housing in the 05404 zip code runs above both the state and national benchmarks, with the typical home value sitting well higher than the Vermont median and the national median. Rents are also elevated. A family buying at current prices with a standard down payment would face a monthly mortgage that exceeds the typical rent, and the price-to-income ratio is steep. For families already in Winooski, the rental market is somewhat more accessible than buying, though rents have been climbing. The city is actively updating its comprehensive plan, with a 2027 target, and its strategic vision emphasizes a mix of quality housing that preserves the city's character. How that translates into affordable options for families with school-age children remains an open question.
What Winooski Middle School offers is a small, diverse, urban school in a city that takes pride in being a place of opportunity. The academic results are weak by standard state measures, and a parent should treat that as a serious factor to investigate. At the same time, the school's context is unusual for Vermont, and families whose priorities include a multicultural peer environment and a walkable, close-knit community may find something here that is hard to replicate elsewhere in the county. The decision will likely come down to how much weight a family places on test performance versus the community and demographic character of the school.
See more original research from School Decision →